Claudia Conway’s TikToks about her mother’s alleged abuse are more complicated than they seem

Claudia Conway’s TikToks about her mother’s alleged abuse are more complicated than they seem

A screenshot of one of Claudia Conway’s TikToks from January 19. | Claudia Conway/TikTok

Kellyanne Conway’s 16-year-old daughter provided an ugly look into their family life.

Claudia Conway, the 16-year-old daughter of former Trump spokesperson Kellyanne Conway and anti-Trump Republican attorney George Conway, has alleged that her mother has been “physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive” in her latest TikToks.

On January 19, Claudia posted a series of videos appearing to show Kellyanne shouting, cursing frequently, belittling, and seemingly hitting her daughter. Claudia said she had been recording their fights for years, and that these examples were only a handful of many throughout her life.

Some of what can be heard in the video, ostensibly Kellyanne speaking to Claudia: “Fuck you!” “Bitch.” “If you only knew what people thought of you.” In another, she claims, “You can’t get coronavirus from the president.” (Kellyanne tested positive for Covid-19 after attending a party hosted by then-President Trump.)

During the afternoon of January 20, Claudia wrote to followers, “like I’m not even kidding if any of you live in this area come pick me up” under a video of a woman who appears to be Kellyanne explaining to police that she feels unsafe.

This is not the first time the Conway family dynamics have made headlines. Claudia has been vocal about her progressive beliefs and her difficult relationship with her mother on TikTok since last summer, when she supported Black Lives Matter and repeatedly voiced her hatred of Trump. Then, in October, she was the first to report that her mother was showing signs of Covid-19 after attending a White House celebration for Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination. (We attended to contact both Kellyanne and Claudia Conway for comment and will update if we hear back.)

Immediately, Claudia was heralded by adults on Twitter as a symbol of Gen Z revolution, an American hero, and a better journalist than Bob Woodward. Yet Claudia herself has said that’s not the point she hopes people take from her videos: All she wants to do, she says, is “show my side of the story.”

Her side of the story, from what she’s shown us, is harrowing. Here is her video titled “a covid recap with kelly,” which depicts a series of insults and the line, “You’re lucky your mom’s pro life.” Claudia commented underneath it that “it’s scary how this woman held the position as one of the most powerful woman in this country like.” (Warning: The content in the following videos may be disturbing for some viewers.)

The end of this video seemingly shows a hand hitting her face as she records it. Much of the footage seems to show clear instances of an adult berating a child, and is deeply uncomfortable to watch. After the videos started to gain traction, Claudia filmed another explaining her decision and providing more context. Here is the full transcript:

Hey guys, I just wanted to add a little context to what I just posted. I know my words are going to be twisted by the media but I just want to put it out there. I’m not looking to hate on my mom, I just think it’s important to tell my side of the story and my experience. I was just going through some videos, I have hundreds and hundreds of videos just like that and I thought it was important because as a woman who has such power in this country I don’t think people really know how she is. And it’s also a reminder to everybody who is in a similar situation that you’re not alone, and that trust me, I get it. In terms of what can be done, there’s nothing that can really be done. I’ve tried everything. My parents are too powerful and nothing happens. I’m probably going to get in a lot of trouble for this. I just want everyone in the world watching this to know that I’m not lying at all. I wouldn’t lie about anything like this.

She also made several videos afterward, one of which attempts to express how scary it was to put such intimate details on the internet:

Also I’m extremely scared after posting that, very anxious, don’t know what’s about to happen. She’s probably going to publicly say that she’s not abusive and what not, but that’s kind of what manipulators do and narcissists do. I’m not looking for attention, I’m not looking for anything, I’m just in a situation that’s really physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive and I think it’s important that everybody sees that.

Another included a message to the media:

And before the media posts this, the Daily Mail, the New York Times, whatever, because I know they will, it’s just what I’m used to. That was not in any way to bring down my mom. They like to call me a “rebellious teenager,” whatever, who’s making up shit, but I’m not. I’m not making up anything. I’m just telling my side of the story.

Finally, she revealed that police had shown up at her door when she was alone after the videos started going viral. She said she told them she was fine and that they left, and that afterward, she felt guilty, “even though I shouldn’t.” In a reply to one comment, she says, “I’m really scared and it’s my mom’s birthday so I feel guilty and invalid even though i shouldn’t and my anxiety is spiraling.”

These videos, taken without context, seem to be a desperate plea for some kind of help. But according to Claudia, the reality is more complicated. Though she said she knew they would gain media attention, she has openly expressed her dislike of being discussed in the press. She also has made clear multiple times that she has tried to avoid raising legal accusations against her mother. “this isn’t even bad but i’m not tryna put her in jail,” she wrote in one comment. However, she said that she has had experience with the authorities in the past, but that “they do nothing. She’s way too powerful.” In a since-deleted video, Claudia said that Child Protective Services have interviewed her family “and they didn’t do shit.”

Claudia’s allegations and the evidence she provides that support them — of at best a dysfunctional and difficult family environment and at worst a seemingly abusive one — are undoubtedly serious. Yet so is the enormous public pressure of being a 16-year-old who wants to tell her own story while under a media microscope.

Though viewers over the past few months have dissected her content and theorized about what it could mean, as we’ve seen with other attempts to analyze the behaviors of famous people in crisis, our inclination to help can often do more harm than good. As I wrote the last time Claudia made headlines, “we, the audience, have no ability — nor do we have any right — to ‘save’ or ‘free’ Claudia from her family situation, but we do have a duty to take her and every other young person’s pleas seriously.”

This, ultimately, seems like what she needs most: to be heard. “my situation is a mess but I know it isn’t my fault,” she wrote in a comment on January 20. “I will continue to post about my experiences as a way to spread awareness.”

Author: Rebecca Jennings

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