Donald Trump frequently makes “racially charged” statements and doesn’t know how to interact with minorities, departed White House adviser Omarosa Manigault-Newman said after she was ousted from the Trump administration.
Omarosa rose to fame thanks to Trump’s reality show The Apprentice and became an important surrogate for Trump during his unlikely rise through the Republican primary and his election victory in November. She was rewarded with a job inside the White House, but she was fired this week amid disputed circumstances.
Now, the reality television star is bringing new drama to Donald Trump with an interview in which she admits that Trump made “racially charged” statements in many of their interactions.
“Donald Trump is racial, but he is not a racist,” Omarosa told ABC News Nightline . “Yes, I will acknowledge many of the exchanges, particularly in the last six months, have been racially charged. Do we, then, just stop and label him as a racist? No.”
She added that Trump’s administration has a lack of diversity, which reflects Donald Trump’s background. She noted that Trump “had never worked with minorities, [and] didn’t know how to interact with them.” With Omarosa’s departure, there aren’t any black senior White House staffers, Essence noted.
The interview is likely to stir new drama for the Trump administration and fuel criticism that he has acted in a racially charged manner. Trump was criticized for sharing neo-Nazi propaganda during the presidential campaign and for hesitating to condemn neo-Nazis after a rally in Charlottesville left a protester dead.
Upon her departure Omarosa noted the lack of diversity in the White House. Her exit means there isn’t a Black senior WH staffer. Is anyone concerned about that? https://t.co/05vF6MXVdg #lunchtimedebate
— ESSENCE Debates (@ESSENCE_Debates) December 15, 2017
Trump’s long-running feud with the NFL over protesting players has also drawn criticism that he is stoking racial anger toward black players. The protests started as a demonstration against police brutality faced by minorities, but Trump focused on what he claimed was disrespect for the flag and U.S. troops.
It also comes at a time when Trump has suffered a string of public defeats, including failure to pass health care reform and the loss of Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who received strong support from Trump.
Omarosa is likely to continue spilling details about her split with the Trump administration, which reportedly included her being dragged from the grounds of the White House. During her time on The Apprentice , Omarosa was known for inviting drama, and Trump seemed to play into this instinct, knowing it made for good television. She has already spent time after her firing taking aim at Trump’s lack of diversity in his administration, ABC News noted.
