“So when in doubt, just say, ‘I’ll have what he’s having.’”
Kellyanne Conway, President Trump's ubiquitous counselor, on Thursday shared her thoughts on feminism and gave women several pieces of advice while speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. Here are some of the comments:
Here are some of the things she said.
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"I was raised to be a very strong and independent woman without anybody ever saying the word 'feminist,' or having any political conversation."
Moderator Mercedes Schlapp: Well, I thought this was going to be an intimate conversation between you and me and over thousands of our closest friends. Thank you all for being here. We're just so honored to have Kellyanne Conway come join us today in this very special CPAC.
And I want to start by sharing a little bit about yourself. You started picking blueberries in a farm in New Jersey, raised by these incredibly powerful women, your mom, your grandmother, your two aunts.
Then you become CEO of a polling company, you worked with Republicans across the board, conservatives, then you become the first successful female campaign manager and now counselor to the president. Kellyanne Conway, what drives you?
Kellyanne Conway: First of all, everything that you've just said is a complete and absolute blessing. You know, women in this country work so hard and not all of them get their shot. And I feel like I worked hard, but I also got my opportunity, which puts it in a different category of blessings. I was raised in a house. I call it South Jersey's version of The Golden Girls, with the house covers and everything.
Nobody ever had a single political conversation, by my mom, her mom, two of my mother's unmarried sisters. My father left when I was very young, we have a great relationship now and he certainly does with my four children. But I was raised to be a very strong and independent woman without anybody ever saying the word feminist or having any political conversation.
We were taught to be freethinking, independent, to look at your goals. And that old saying, you could never go home, was never true in my community. We always felt like we could go home.
I believe that Donald Trump is someone who is not fully understood for how compassionate and what a great boss he is to women. He has been promoting and elevating women in the Trump Corporation, in the Trump campaign, in the Trump Cabinet, certainly in the Trump White House. It's just a very natural affinity for him. And I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity late in the campaign to work with an incredible team — I mean, really an incredible team — to be one of an incredible team, to help him get elected, particularly against a female candidate.
And Hillary Clinton should be applauded for her willingness to serve publicly, but I thought it was very telling this year, Mercedes, that many women looked past the commonality of gender and were looking for what they shared in terms of issues, ideology, vision and just what they want out of their futures for themselves
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“I don’t have any special advice for America’s women, except to know who you are and to put your priorities in order and to not worry about the naysayers and critics say.”
Conway: The work life balance that we all talk about is not elusive to me. And I don't have any special advice for America's women, except to know who you are and to put your priorities in order, and to not worry about the naysayers and critics say. I mean, nobody understands your life but you.
And really struggling as to whether or not to go inside the White House or to stay out. My children were first and foremost part of that decision. They are 12, 12, 8 and 7, four terrible ages for a mom to be in the White House.
But what I decided ultimately is that I work for a man in the White House where that work life balance is welcomed. I do think that many of my male colleagues, or all of them appreciate the fact that they were raised by moms who either worked or didn't, or worked inside the home or are married to women at the same ilk. But at the same time, it is different a set of considerations for women, and you have to put yourself last.
They come first obviously, but they're also so attuned to politics in a way that I never was when I was their ages. They think about not just politics, but public policy. They think about their role in the world.
And I would tell my three daughters and your daughters, or you, that the job for first female president of the United States remains open, so go for it.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
“It’s difficult for me to call myself a feminist in the classic sense because it seems to be very anti-male, and it certainly is very pro-abortion.”
Schlapp: So there was this big women's march, the Democrats all claim that all women pretty much should be Democrats. I think one of the things you've done very effectively is explain how women belong in the conservative movement. That actually there are what I would call conservative feminism. How would you explain that?
Conway: Well, I believe this generation, particularly the younger people, don't really like labels. And we're not necessarily joiners or liking to label ourselves. And that's great in its own right.
So I don't know about calling yourself a feminist. I also, for me, it's difficult for me to call myself a feminist in the classic sense because it seems to be very anti-male, and it certainly is very pro-abortion in this context. And I'm neither anti-male or pro- abortion, so.
There's an individual feminism, if you will, that you make your own choices. Mercedes, I look at myself as a product of my choices, not a victim of my circumstances. And that's really clearly what conservative feminism, if you will, is all about.
My mother didn't feel sorry for herself, she was left with no child support, no alimony at a very young age, with a child to raise, a high school education, and she just figured it out. She didn't complain, she didn't rely upon government, she relied upon her own skill set, her own self confidence, her own drive in moxie and her own duty to me and her and she relied upon her family and her faith.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
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