Kellyanne Conway drew mockery and ire on social media ― and accusations of gaslighting ― with a claim about former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
GOP presidential nominee Trump “didn’t call Hillary names, he took her on for her record,” Conway suggested Wednesday on Fox News during a discussion about the personal attacks that Republicans have launched on likely Democratic 2024 presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
But Trump, of course, did indeed smear Clinton with derogatory monikers throughout their race and for much of the contest referred to her as “Crooked Hillary.” During his presidency, he referred to Clinton as “Crazy Hillary.”
Trump announced at a 2023 campaign rally that he’d reassigned the “Crooked” moniker to President Joe Biden. “I will be retiring the name ‘Crooked’ from Hillary Clinton,” he said. “I’m gonna give her a new name. I don’t know, like maybe ‘Lovely Hillary’ or ‘Beautiful Hillary.’”
Conway managed Trump’s campaign against former Secretary of State Clinton and later served as a senior counselor in the Trump White House.
Critics on social media suggested her Trump-Clinton claim was her latest installment of “alternative facts,” the term she became infamous for during Trump’s presidency.