Kellyanne Conway
Joshua Roberts | Reuters
Kellyanne Conway, senior advisor to President Donald Trump, will leave the White House at the end of the month, saying she wants to spend more time with her children.
An administration official told NBC News that Conway told Trump about her decision Sunday evening in the Oval Office. The official said the president expressed support for her decision.
“This is completely my choice and my voice,” Conway said in a statement. “In time, I will announce future plans. For now, and for my beloved children, it will be less drama, more mama.”
Conway, who has four children, is one of Trump’s longest-serving senior advisors, serving as his campaign manager in 2016.
Her husband, George Conway, is also leaving his role at The Lincoln Project, a group run by Republican operatives who oppose Trump. He also emphasized his desire to “devote more time to family matters,” while reiterating his support for the organization.
George Conway, a frequent vocal critic of the president, also said he would be taking a Twitter hiatus.
The Washington Post first reported the news.
The announcements come on the eve of the Republican National Convention and a little more than two months before the presidential election.
The administration official and another source familiar with the matter told NBC News that Kellyanne Conway is still expected to speak at the RNC on Wednesday as scheduled.
While George has persistently condemned Trump on Twitter, Kellyanne has been one of the president’s most ardent defenders. The couple’s contrasting views have often become the subject of media attention.
“We disagree about plenty but we are united on what matters most: the kids … As millions of parents nationwide know, kids ‘doing school from home’ requires a level of attention and vigilance that is as unusual as these times,” Kellyanne Conway said in her statement.
Earlier Sunday, the couple’s 15-year-old daughter, Claudia, said she was “devastated” that her mother will be speaking at the RNC. In a flurry of tweets criticizing her parents, she also said she and her father “agree on absolutely nothing” politically, before announcing she would be taking a mental health break from social media.
