White House adviser uses flash cards with words ‘Conclusion? Collusion’ and ‘Illusion, delusion’ to illustrate arguments in defense of Donald Trump Jr

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday deployed two small flash cards to make the case that there has been no collusion between the Trump administration and Russia … “yet”.

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Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity, Conway said she was using the cards “to help all the people at home” understand the significance of revelations that Donald Trump Jr agreed to meet a Russian lawyer, after being told the lawyer would provide damaging information about Hillary Clinton because the Russian government was supporting his father’s presidential campaign.

At the end of her interview with Hannity, Conway held up her first placard, which read: “conclusion, collusion”.

Conway crossed out the word collusion and explained: “What’s the conclusion? Collusion? No. We don’t have that yet.”

She then held up a second card, which read “Illusion, delusion”, and said: “I just thought we’d have some fun with words.”

The night before, Trump Jr appeared on Hannity’s show and said: “In retrospect I probably would have done things a little differently.”

The New York Times reported the existence of the Russia emails over the weekend. Trump Jr released them on Twitter on Tuesday, minutes before the Times published them itself.

Defending the Trump administration, Conway told Hannity the media talks “more about Russia than America”.

The cards, she said, were like Sesame Street’s “Word of the Day”, a reference to the children’s TV show which features a segment in which Elmo and occasionally other muppets, such as the hapless Grover, explain the meaning of words such as vote, stumble and canteen.

Conway later tweeted a link to an article about her segment and said: “Apologies to the humorless.”

But by Thursday morning, inevitably, her appearance had become a meme:

Scott Kerr (@scott_kerr) Kellyanne Conway did the worst version Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" pic.twitter.com/siU8fG5GUz

Martin Pengelly (@MartinPengelly) She's on the pavement

Thinking about the government

Mike Glennon (@MrMikeGlennon) I never knew Kellyanne Conway was into INXS. pic.twitter.com/3aquOk6Twm

Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) I am so so sorry everyone pic.twitter.com/jLjENz2c1O

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