The Truth About Donald Trump And Omarosa's Tense Relationship
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Like Madonna, Beyonce, and Aaliyah, you only need to say Omarosa Manigult Newman's first name and everyone will know who you're talking about. Newman first rose to fame on Season 1 of "The Apprentice" in 2004. Although she didn't win the season, she was easily the show's breakout star. The Ringer named her as one of the best characters in the history of reality TV, calling her "a villain straight out of reality television central casting." Furthermore, The Washington Post said she "knew exactly how to stoke conflict among the cast members for maximum television drama."
Although Donald Trump told her, "You're fired!" — and did so two more times when she appeared on two seasons of "The Celebrity Apprentice" — he eventually rehired her to work in the White House upon his election to the presidency. Newman served as the director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison until resigning in January 2018, just one serve after assuming the position, according to Politico. Shortly thereafter, she wrote a book, "Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House," criticizing Trump and his administration.
How did this once sweet partnership turn so sour? Let's take a look.
Omarosa switched parties to support Donald Trump
Up until 2016, Omarosa Manigult Newman had been a lifelong Democrat — and a very active one, at that. According to The New York Times Magazine, she was actually an appointee in the Clinton administration. "I've been very vocal about the fact that I had been a Democrat my entire life," she told the paper. "African-Americans are loyal to the Democratic Party, but unfortunately, the Democratic Party is not loyal to them."
Newman was an early supporter of Donald Trump's candidacy, and worked for his campaign as the director of African-American outreach. "Truly, I am living the American dream because of Donald Trump," she wrote in The Hollywood Reporter after the 2016 election. "Look at my career, the wealth and exposure that I've had: It's very difficult to make the argument that Donald Trump doesn't like black people and black women."
But after serving in his White House, Newman changed her tune. In her tell-all book "Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House," Newman claimed that Trump was, in fact, quite racist. According to The Independent, Newman alleges there is an audio recording of the former president saying the N-word "in a classic Trump-goes-nuclear rant." She also questioned Trump's mental health, calling him "impaired" and wondering if he was "delusional." She also alleged he read "at an eighth- or ninth-grade level." Understandably, Trump was not pleased.
Donald Trump tried to sue Omarosa
In August 2018, just after "Unhinged" was released, Donald Trump took to Twitter to do damage control. "When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn't work out," he wrote, per AP. "Good work by [chief of staff] General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!" Unfortunately for Omarosa Manigult Newman, leaders in the Black community declined to jump to her defense. "Her tell-all mea culpa won't win her any brownie points with most blacks," author Earl Ofari Hutchinson told AP. ″Their loathing of Omarosa is virtually frozen in stone. She's still roundly lambasted as a two-bit opportunist, a racial sellout, and an ego driven hustler."
Trump pursued legal action against Newman, claiming she had violated a nondisclosure agreement. But the American Arbitration Association in New York ruled against the former president on September 28, declaring that Newman was eligible to collect legal fees from the Trump campaign, per The New York Times. "Donald has used this type of vexatious litigation to intimidate, harass and bully for years," Newman said in a statement. "Finally the bully has met his match!"
Politico reported that Trump also released his own statement following the decision. "I gave Omarosa three attempts at 'The Apprentice' and she failed," he said. "At her desperate request I gave her an attempt at the White House and she failed there too, people truly hated her. At least now I don't have to let her fail anymore."