Since appearing on the debut season of Donald Trump’s reality TV show The Apprentice, Omarosa Manigault-Newman has gone on to remain a cultural figure in an era where reality TV stars are a dime a dozen.
Omarosa was part of the cast of Season 1 of The Apprentice in 2004, alongside 15 other business-minded individuals all competing to be hired by Trump. During that first season she emerged as an opportunist, someone who exaggerated and embellished. She was unreliable, contradictory, and evasive when challenged on her inconsistencies.
Omarosa was cast on Trump’s first season of The Apprentice
After Trump “fired” her that first season, Omarosa (with a reputation already established as a reality TV “super villain”) became a shameless self-promoter who prioritized herself to make money.
What, on earth, did she have in common with Trump?
Apparently enough to get her invited back on his show not just once, but twice. Each time Trump fired her, but not before she schemed and manipulated her way through challenges, and into his heart.
When Trump won the election, he immediately called Omarosa and invited her to be part of his inner-circle. For 18 months, she defended him, at one point even suggesting that all his opponents would have to “kiss his ring.”
But, alas, this reality TV presidency wouldn’t be ratings worthy without the apprentice turning on her mentor.
This morning on MSNBC, Omarosa called Trump a racist and a “performer” who she believes “wants to start a race war in this country.”
Trump enjoyed reality TV success in part because of Omarosa.
“He was disingenuous about his commitment to diversity,” she said. “He could care less if African-American civil rights leaders, anyone came to the table, because he had his agenda and that agenda did not include advancing and uniting the African-American community or even putting any policies in place that he promised during the campaign. He’s a performer. He wants to use people as props.”
The former 15-year long friend of Trump stressed the small number of African-Americans who are working in his administration. She also accused his administration of trying to dismantle former President Obama’s accomplishments.
“Donald Trump is not equipped to serve in the role that he is in,” she concluded. “I would say that he’s unfit to serve as the president of the United States. He has completely taken the presidency to the gutter.”
Trump, in response, has added Omarosa to the growing list of African-Americans he has publicly denigrated on Twitter. He called her “that dog” and a “crazed, crying lowlife.”
Omarosa has already released audio tape of conversations from the Situation Room in the White House she had with Chief of Staff John Kelly, and another conversation with Trump’s daughter-in-law who offered to put her on the 2020 campaign payroll to keep her quiet.
But Omarosa has other plans, and says there are plenty more tapes to come. Something that is making White House staffers uneasy.
One thing is certain in all of this: Donald Trump hired Omarosa four times before firing her. His claims that he would only hire the “very best people” into his administration is yet, sadly, just another lie.