Source: Trump 'irritated' by Conway attacks on Romney | CNN Politics

Donald Trump's administration

Trump secretary of state

CNN

Now playing

02:27

Battle swirls over Trump's secretary of state

Pat Cipollone close up

Stein Mitchell Cipollone Beato & Missner LLP

Now playing

02:10

Meet Trump's new White House counsel

John Bolton and John Kelly

Getty Images

Now playing

02:12

Bolton, Kelly get into heated shouting match

US President Donald Trump prepares to board Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on October 1, 2018.

MANDEL NGAN/Getty Images

Now playing

02:35

Trump administration dismisses EPA scientists

Donald Trump welcomes retired United States Marine Corps general James Mattis as they pose for a photo before their meeting at Trump International Golf Club, November 19, 2016 in Bedminster Township, New Jersey.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Now playing

02:44

Trump: James Mattis is 'sort of a Democrat'

Now playing

01:27

Sanders: 'Sad' that op-ed is getting attention

Sonny Perdue, President TrumpÕs nominee to lead the Agriculture Department, takes his seat as he arrives for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on Capitol Hill, March 23, 2017 in Washington. Previously, Perdue served as the governor of Gerogia from 2003 to 2011. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Now playing

02:02

Emails reveal food lobbyist influence on USDA

US.President Donald Trump departs the White House July 31, 2018 in Washington, DC (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Now playing

02:03

Trump team suggests ACLU find deported parents

President Donald Trump speaks during a rally, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018, at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes Barre, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Matt Rourke/AP

Now playing

02:16

Trump slams probe 'hoax' despite intel warning

John Kelly answers questions during a press conference related to President Donald Trump's recent executive order concerning travel and refugees, January 31, 2017 in Washington, DC.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Now playing

00:57

Trump asked John Kelly to stay through 2020

US candidate to the head of International Organization for Migration (IOM) Ken Isaacs looks on during a press briefing on March 19, 2018 in Geneva.

Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

Now playing

00:32

Trump's pick for UN migration job voted down

Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images/File

Now playing

01:59

Trump appointee guts UN document on racism

Bill Shine, left, and President Donald Trump

Getty Images

Now playing

00:51

Former Fox News executive takes White House job

Vice President Mike Pence speaks at Las Vegas City Hall on October 7, 2017.

Ethan Miller/Getty

Now playing

02:34

Genealogist: Chain migration helped Pence family

getty images/dpa/ap

Now playing

02:57

Vets call on WH to fire aide over crude joke

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly takes part in a meeting between US President Donald Trump and bipartisan members of Congress on school and community safety in the Cabinet Room of the White House on February 28, 2018 in Washington, DC.(MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Now playing

02:08

Kelly retracts comment Trump is 'embarrassed'

Story highlights

Conway says Trump supporters feel "betrayed"

Mitt Romney is being considered for Secretary of State

CNN —

President-elect Donald Trump is “irritated” with top aide Kellyanne Conway’s public campaign against Mitt Romney’s potential nomination as Secretary of State, according to a source.

The Trump source, who is familiar with the President-elect’s thinking, acknowledged the existence of an internal feud between Conway and chief of staff Reince Priebus, specifically about the choice between Romney and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani for the nation’s top diplomatic position.

03:23 - Source: CNN

Conway questions Romney's loyalty to Trump

The strange feud playing out in public between Romney and Giuliani has captured the attention of the nation in a way rarely seen after the election ends and the transition to the White House begins.

Conway told CNN that she has spoken to Trump several times, both yesterday and today, and that he was not angry or irritated.

Conway, who is in Trump Tower today, said Trump understands that her comments about Romney come from a place of loyalty to the President-elect.

Conway criticized Romney in a series of interviews and tweets amid speculation that the former 2012 GOP presidential nominee was a leading contender for the post. She said that Trump supporters felt “betrayed” by Romney’s consideration on “State of the Union” on Sunday.

“I’m all for party unity, but I’m not sure we have to pay for that with the secretary of state position,” Conway told CNN’s Dana Bash.

She said that “it’s just breathtaking in scope and intensity the type of messages I’ve received” from people opposing Romney for the job.

Conway first opened a window on the infighting in Trump’s transition over who should win the powerful role as the nation’s top diplomat when she tweeted on Thanksgiving about concerns with Romney.

“Receiving deluge of social media & private comms re: Romney Some Trump loyalists warn against Romney as sec of state,” she tweeted, including a link to a Politico story.

Romney has been scrapping behind the scenes with Giuliani for the post, although alternative options have emerged, including former Gen. David Petraeus and Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker.