Kellyanne Conway, a key advisor to Donald Trump, reportedly confronted conservative Meghan McCain backstage at a women’s summit, according to witnesses who spoke with the Daily Beast.
This unexpected exchange stemmed from a long-standing resentment Conway has towards McCain, who referred to Conway and her then-husband George as “gross” during television appearances on The View and Watch What Happens Live.
The encounter took place after both women participated in a panel at The Washington Post’s post-election Global Women’s Summit, an event organized by Tina Brown, the founder of the Daily Beast.
Once the panel discussion regarding the elections’ impact on women was concluded, Conway approached McCain in the green room adjacent to the stage. An eyewitness described the moment as resembling a scene from the Real Housewives series.
“Kellyanne approached Meghan and remarked, ‘I wasn’t going to say anything while on stage, but do you recall your comments about me and my marriage on The View?’” the observer recounted. “You labeled my marriage as ‘gross.’”
The two did not directly engage in a debate during the panel, which surprised those present when a confrontation occurred, even though Conway was at times seen as contentious towards the moderator and audience, according to some attendees.
Conway was heard questioning McCain, “Are you aware of what you said and the harm it caused? Do you understand how many people you affected?”
McCain, who left The View in 2021 and is now pursuing a podcasting career, seemed unsettled by the brief confrontation and eager to exit the situation. Friends noted that she appeared “shaken” afterward.
“I heard Meghan say, ‘I don’t recall what I said that upset you,’” the witness shared, noting that McCain apologized to Conway. The witness added, “Meghan expressed discomfort, but that seemed to exacerbate the situation.”
McCain, now 40, left the confrontation with Conway, who appeared unruffled by the exchange. The observer noted, “Meghan looked visibly shaken as she attempted to leave.”
The personal and political rifts within Conway’s family were highlighted publicly, particularly on social media, throughout Trump’s first term.
While Conway served as a counselor to Trump in the Oval Office, her husband George and eldest daughter Claudia consistently expressed their dissent on platforms like Twitter and TikTok. Claudia even voiced her desire to emancipate from her mother, while George ultimately divorced Conway in 2023 after 22 years of marriage, during which they had four children. Claudia, now 20, has since reconciled with her mother, although their political views still diverge.
Conway shared with the Daily Beast, “I chose to wait until the cameras and microphones were off to calmly address the public insults she has aimed at my family.”
She continued, “McCain may want to distance herself from her recent history as a long-standing Mean Girl on The View and Bravo, where she frequently hurled vicious remarks at people and topics she knows little about, including my marriage and children, while casually lying about trivial matters, such as claiming I called her (I don’t have her number).”
McCain characterized the incident as “strange” and stated, “It was certainly not what I anticipated when I agreed to participate in an event hosted by The Washington Post and Tina Brown. The reason their marriage attracted attention was due to them constantly airing their dirty laundry to the public.”
The Daily Beast confirmed that Conway’s grievances stemmed from comments made on multiple episodes of The View in 2018 and on NBC’s Watch What Happens Live in April 2020, during which McCain labeled both Conways as “gross” and claimed Conway would contact her every time she mentioned her on air.
During the 2020 episode, host Andy Cohen asked McCain, a frequent guest on the show, and fellow guest Erika Jayne from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, to determine whether quotes were from a “president or a [Real] Housewife.” Guest Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) then read a clue: “She is married to a total whack job. She must have done a number on him. I don’t know what he did to that guy.”
McCain correctly recognized the quote as coming from Trump and pertaining to Kellyanne and George. Cohen then inquired about her views on the couple, who had drawn media attention for their contrasting perspectives on Trump almost since the start of his presidency.
This prompted McCain to comment, “I believe it’s terrible, and they have four children who will eventually witness this nonsense, and it’s just awful. It’s bizarre, and regardless of whether it’s their kink or not, I find it horrific… They both seem gross.” She added, “Wait, can I add one more thing? Do not call me or message me, Kellyanne. You do that every time I say something about you.”
Conway refuted this claim as a “lie” in her 2022 memoir, Here’s The Deal, asserting that she never contacted McCain and did not possess her phone number. Conway stated they exchanged emails just once—McCain invited her to join The View and for a dinner with both couples, describing it as a “friendly” gesture. In her memoir, Conway referred to McCain as a “know-it-all,” accused her of “ad nauseam, ad hominem attacks on me,” suggested she “capitalized” on her father’s two unsuccessful presidential campaigns, and recounted a conversation with McCain’s husband Ben Domenech, in which he labeled The View as “the worst show on television.”
Despite not being a formal participant in Trump’s re-election campaign or transition, Conway remains a steadfast public supporter of him during this electoral cycle, including her role as a columnist for DailyMail.com.
Sources indicated that the confrontation at the women’s summit marked the first proper interaction between Conway and McCain.
“It seems unlikely there will be a second meeting,” one friend remarked.
