Trump campaign manager on if he will release charity details: 'I doubt it'

Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, had three words Tuesday when asked whether her candidate would release the precise amount he has contributed to charity: “I doubt it.”

“Why would you doubt it?” CNN’s Alisyn Camerota asked during an interview on “New Day.”


Conway repeated, “I doubt it.”

“I doubt it. In other words, this is like badgering. I don’t see it as journalism, I see it as badgering. We’ve had this conversation so many different times on so many different networks, yet we’re not having a conversation about what the middle-class tax relief would mean for people’s wage stagnation,” Conway continued, repeatedly pushing back against the notion that Trump has not been as forthcoming about his health and financial records as Hillary Clinton amid persistent questions about both major-party candidates’ levels of disclosure.

“I am really satisfied with it. I am satisfied that he is out there with voters every day,” Conway declared.

Camerota opened the interview with a softball, asking Conway whether Trump or Clinton has been more transparent about their health.

Without missing a beat, Conway responded, “As we know from this past weekend, clearly Donald Trump.”

“I mean, we saw Hillary Clinton with our own two eyes struggling the other day,” she continued. “We certainly hope, and Mr. Trump and I and our entire campaign certainly hope, she is well.”

Pressing on Trump’s records, Camerota held up the note from his doctor last December in which the Manhattan businessman’s health was pronounced “astonishingly excellent,” going on to read that Trump’s latest medical exam showed “only positive results.”

“Which, of course, is funny, because that means something’s wrong,” Camerota added. “But that’s not what he meant.”

Asked how that could be considered transparent, Conway shot back, “Wow, you can laugh all you want at the medical report, but as far as I can see, there are two major-party candidates running for president, and only one of them has pneumonia and lied about it, especially to the press because she always thinks that she has …. treats you all like second-class citizens.”

Clinton’s campaign has acknowledged that it could have been more forthcoming with Clinton’s diagnosis of pneumonia, after the Democratic nominee left a 9/11 memorial on Sunday. It was only after footage of a woozy Clinton being helped into a van emerged that the campaign revealed the diagnosis from two days prior. But even as she conceded the campaign could have handled the situation better, Clinton’s communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, declared on Twitter on Monday that “in contrast to HRC, Trump has been less transparent than any nominee in modern history.”

Trump has been repeatedly criticized for not providing more full medical records. He has blamed an audit for his refusal to offer up his tax returns and refused to provide more details about the Trump Foundation.

Conway on Tuesday continued to tear into Clinton, accusing her of a lack of openness with the press. Also, Clinton declares herself “uplifting and aspirational,” then “goes on to attack tens of millions of Americans the very next day,” Conway said, alluding to the former secretary of state’s remark about a “basket of deplorables.”

“And then, we all saw her by the van,” Conway said, referring to a video of Clinton struggling to stand after leaving the 9/11 event.

“I mean, this is not a medical report,” Camerota responded, referring to Trump’s note from Dr. Harold Bornstein.

Conway chastised Camerota for her line of questioning.

“Alisyn, this is what I expect from the Clinton campaign. I don’t expect it from journalists. We’re talking about Hillary Clinton and her pneumonia and what happened on 9/11, which we all saw with our own two eyes, and it takes us about 10 words to get to Donald Trump,” Conway said, reiterating that Trump had a physical last week.

Asked what Trump’s records would entail, Conway said she was not sure, but offered, “I don’t know, but I’ll tell you what he won’t be releasing.

“He won’t be releasing the fact that he had pneumonia for two days and lied about it,” she said.

“Lied or didn’t disclose? Is there a difference?” Camerota followed up, to which Conway responded, “I guess if we’re talking about Hillary Clinton, lying and didn’t disclose is the same — is so different, right? It’s always parsing the words.”

As far as Trump’s tax records, Conway demurred when asked whether the Republican nominee would release proof from the Internal Revenue Service that his tax returns are under audit, bristling again at the line of questioning.

“Why? In other words, why — are you calling him a liar?” Conway asked.

Camerota remarked, “Well, we’re taking his word for it.”

“Are you calling him a liar?” Conway repeated. “And we’re taking Hillary Clinton’s word that she was ‘overheated’ and didn’t have pneumonia or that she’s going to be aspirational or uplifting or she’s going to start talking to the press again. I mean, seriously, we’re running against a Clinton, and we’re going to challenge someone’s veracity?”



Trump campaign manager 'very satisfied' with his transparency Kellyanne Conway talks about Donald Trump on Tuesday.