Kellyanne Conway has a whole new problem
Despite frequent tweets claiming tremendous support, Donald Trump’s approval rating has now sunk into the mid-30s. This is even more notable given the booming economy. Trump went so far as to force his White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett to make the outrageous claim that President Barack Obama is not to thank for the current economic situation. Hassett stated, “There was an inflection at the election of Donald Trump, and … a whole bunch of data items started heading north.” However, as is typical of claims made by the Trump administration, the statement was not backed up by any facts or data.
While Trump will never admit that our current economy is the result of years of improvement under President Obama, the facts do prove “Trump’s unpopularity is unprecedented given the strength of the economy,” according to an analysis by Bloomberg. Trump’s low approval ratings are not confined to just his policies. With regard to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump-Russia treason, a new CNN poll found 50% of respondents approve of Mueller, while only 30% approve of Trump.
With historically poor approval, it is not surprising that many American families consist of some individuals who support Trump while others strongly disapprove of him, leading to household arguments and division. This issue is likely very common, but the fights become more amplified and public when they involve people close to Trump. Even though Trump touts his strong support within the Republican party, there are a growing number of Republicans so turned off by Trump’s actions and statements, they refuse to support him.
Everyone has likely witnessed Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway spouting alternative facts in Trump’s favor during news interviews, but not everyone is familiar with her husband, George Conway, a longtime Republican operative. Following previous anti-Trump tweets by George, Kellyanne said in an interview that “It is disrespectful, it’s a violation of basic decency, certainly, if not marital vows.” Apparently, George did not take the hint because earlier this week, he retweeted polls showing Trump’s dropping approval numbers.
The increased hostility within families is not just between spouses. Fox News host Laura Ingraham lost several advertisers from her show earlier this year after attacking Parkland school shooting survivors. One of the individuals leading the boycott was Ingraham’s own brother, Curtis Ingraham. Curtis has publicly stated his dislike of Laura’s support for Trump, saying “I think she’s a monster” in an interview with the Daily Beast.
While the squabbling within the Conway and Ingraham families is sure to make for difficult holiday gatherings, nobody has had to change their name due to their disdain of Trump. That is until recently, when the daughter of Paul Manafort, newly convicted felon and Trump’s former campaign manager, filed paperwork to change her last name to distance herself from her father. Jessica Manafort changed her surname to Bond, her mother’s maiden name, “to separate myself and my work from a public perception that has nothing to do with the person that I am.” Hopefully, once Trump is removed from office, families can get back to arguing about the usual topics, like what to have for dinner.
I’m a ceramic engineer living in Central New York, avid sports fan but find myself more interested in politics lately.