WASHINGTON — Every must-watch television show needs two ingredients to survive its first season: a believable villain and a nail-biter of a cliffhanger. Omarosa Manigault Newman, a veteran of "The Apprentice," President Trump's former boardroom-high jinx reality show competition, has delivered both production-perfect elements to the Trump White House.
Her departure, announced this week, set off a hail of headlines that described a dramatic firing orchestrated by John F. Kelly, the president's chief of staff. (Mr. Kelly has never appeared on a reality show, but he seems to be getting the hang of the elimination process.)
Ms. Newman, in multiple public appearances this week, has maintained that it was in fact her choice to resign as the director of communications for the White House Office of Public Liaison, a job that is set to continue to pay out her $179,700 salary as she officially remains on the staff until late January, though with reduced access to the White House.
Still, the woman who cultivated a reputation as the ultimate TV villain is urging viewers to stay tuned to find out why she really left.
As the spectacle surrounding Ms. Newman's departure promises to carry over into the Trump administration's second year, her telegenic antics have not been entertaining to several West Wing aides. In a workplace where drama and chaos have been features, not bugs, Ms. Newman was known for contributing to both.
Continue reading the main story
On Thursday, Ms. Newman pushed back against reports that she had caused a scene over credentials at a White House Christmas party, and that she had tried to gain access to the president's residence. "I like to hear all of these interesting tales," she said in an interview with the TV host Michael Strahan on "Good Morning America," "but I have to tell you that they're 100 percent false."
Among the open questions Ms. Newman is leaving is one surrounding her frustration as the most high-profile black aide in a White House that has been noted for its lack of racial diversity, and besieged by criticism over how it handled racially tinged episodes like the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va.
"As the only African-American woman in this White House," Ms. Newman said in the "Good Morning America" interview, "I have seen things that have made me uncomfortable, that have upset me, that have affected me deeply and emotionally, that has affected my community and my people. It is a profound story that I know the world will want to hear."
The world will have to wait. Ms. Newman has not elaborated, other than to say that she had been trying to raise "grave concerns" about an issue that would "affect the president in a big way." Former and current White House officials said they were uncertain what she was referring to. But she has rejected one suggestion: that Mr. Trump holds racist views.
"Donald Trump is racial, but he is not a racist," she said on ABC's "Nightline." "The things that he says, the types of pushback that he gives, involve people of color. These are racial exchanges."
"Yes, I will acknowledge many of the exchanges — particularly in the last six months — have been racially charged," she added. "Do we then just stop and label him as a racist? No."
Other than the hints she has left on national television, it is still unclear what, exactly, led to Ms. Newman's abrupt departure after a nearly yearlong tenure punctuated by conflicts with other White House aides, a lavish wedding at Trump International Hotel in Washington and a public meltdown at a conference for black journalists. Whatever the catalyst, her departure was handled by Mr. Kelly; the White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II; and Joseph Hagin, a deputy chief of staff.
On Facebook, Armstrong Williams, a conservative media personality and a friend of Ms. Newman's, noted that her departure had closely followed the loss by Mr. Trump's preferred candidate in the Alabama Senate race, "Funny how her story is knocking Roy Moore off front pages." On Friday, Ms. Newman declined to comment.
Ms. Newman's time came to an end in the Situation Room during a meeting with Mr. Kelly. It is an unusual place to hold a discussion about employment, but one where the backdrop is both intimidating and quiet, perhaps to calm an exchange that had the potential to spiral out of control.
Ms. Newman said that the two "had a very candid conversation," and that Mr. Trump learned that she had departed while watching television news.
Mr. Trump and Ms. Newman had forged a friendly bond after years of "Apprentice"-related activities and several memorable televised firings. When Mr. Trump entered the presidential race, Ms. Newman was among the few prominent minorities to lend support. "Every critic, every detractor will have to bow down to President Trump," she said in a 2016 interview.
When Mr. Trump took office, Ms. Newman was a familiar face for the president in a sea of newness, and she enjoyed relatively easy access to the Oval Office.
As news of her departure broke, Mr. Trump offered his support on Twitter. "Thank you Omarosa for your service! I wish you continued success," he wrote. The president's prolific tweeting may be a topic of discussion for Ms. Newman down the road. On "Nightline," she said that she "can't wait to talk about his tweets in the future."
Ms. Newman's bond with the president was not one that extended to the president's other aides. Tension had been building from the start, according to a senior West Wing official. She could be biting, several staff members said.
Ms. Newman helped broker meetings between black ministers and Mr. Trump during the campaign, but after a year, there was little to show for her work in the White House, a position crucial for building coalitions with groups open to supporting the president, one aide said. She had also fallen out of favor with others in the president's circle, including Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser.
She is not the only former Trump aide who has made the rounds to talk about her time in the White House. On Thursday, Sean Spicer, the former White House press secretary, appeared on Fox News to say he did not know why Ms. Newman had been hired. "She was very loyal to the president," Mr. Spicer offered when pressed.
Others close to the president think Ms. Newman may choose to remain in Mr. Trump's good graces instead of speaking out against his administration, despite the end of her White House plotline.
"Omarosa has known, admired and respected President Trump for over a decade," Michael D. Cohen, a longtime lawyer for Mr. Trump, said on Friday. "Despite the rumors, I doubt she would ever do anything that would jeopardize their relationship."
Continue reading the main story
