Donald Trump has never been known for graciousness. Vindictive gloating, on the other hand? That’s one of his favorite hobbies.
On Tuesday night, the president took a victory lap after longtime Trump critic George Conway suffered a crushing defeat in New York’s Democratic congressional primary. But instead of simply noting the loss, Trump did what Trump does best: turn a political result into a deeply personal insult fest.
“Wow, Mr. Kellyanne Conway, a Trump Deranged Loser at the highest level, is getting absolutely CRUSHED in the Primaries tonight,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Conway, a conservative attorney who spent years publicly dismantling Trump’s claims, attacking his conduct, and questioning his fitness for office, has occupied a unique place in Trump’s head for nearly a decade. Even while Conway’s then-wife, Kellyanne Conway, was serving as one of Trump’s top advisers, George Conway was becoming one of the president’s most relentless conservative critics.
Trump never got over it. The president spent years mocking Conway online, famously referring to him as the “husband from hell” while repeatedly lashing out whenever Conway appeared on television or criticized him on social media.
Tuesday’s primary loss gave Trump another opportunity to settle old scores.
“He’ll end up at about 5% of the vote,” Trump wrote before launching into a bizarre attack on Conway’s personal life. “No wonder his ‘husband’ dumped him like a dog! This is a truly unattractive person, both inside and out.”
Classy stuff from the President of the United States.
What’s remarkable isn’t that Trump attacked a political opponent. That’s practically a daily occurrence. It’s that Conway continues to occupy so much space in Trump’s mind years after the two began feuding.
Conway’s political relevance has faded considerably since his peak anti-Trump activism during Trump’s first term. Yet Trump still appears unable to resist taking shots whenever the opportunity presents itself.
The irony, of course, is that Conway built much of his public profile by getting under Trump’s skin. Few critics have managed to provoke the president quite as consistently. Even now, after Conway’s failed congressional bid, Trump couldn’t simply celebrate the result and move on.
Instead, he delivered another late-night social media rant that sounded less like a victorious president and more like someone still fighting an old argument he can’t quite let go of.
Conway may have lost his race. But judging by Tuesday night’s outburst, he still knows exactly how to get Trump’s attention.
