There are a variety of words you could use to describe Omarosa Manigault's alliance with Donald Trump: controversial, confusing, heartening, and delusional are just a few. But Omarosa doesn't care what you think about her inflammatory boss, the unlikely president-elect of the United States, whom she first met 13 years ago as a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice.
Omarosa thoroughly believes that Trump is a fantastic man, as she explains in a new as-told piece in The Hollywood Reporter, titled "Omarosa: I'm Black, Female, and Donald Trump Is My Friend." In it, she expounds on Trump's respect for women and Black people, as well as her new role on Trump's transition team: fostering diversity in the new White House.
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"I am aware of the perceptions," Omarosa states. "But [Trump] is open-minded: He does not judge people on their gender or race. He judges them on their ability to do the job." Omarosa names exactly two women to prove that Trump isn't racist or sexist in the face of what some might call overwhelming evidence to the contrary — herself, obviously, and Trump's daughter, Ivanka. "Look at his daughter Ivanka, who is about to take over the company," she notes. How very progressive of the man.
Similarly, she uses her own career trajectory as evidence that Trump empowers Black women. "Truly, I am living the American dream because of Donald Trump. 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." (It's actually not too tricky.) She specifically points to the fact that Trump "allowed" her to take her idea for a Black dating show to a Black network, in another bold show of racial equity. "That point often is lost when people are trying to paint him with an ugly brush," she shares.
Omarosa also notes the high-paid women executives he employs, and his "unprecedented" hiring of female construction managers back in the '80s. "Look to his past to see what he will do for women in this country. I believe he will empower women and have them shatter the glass ceiling." Here, I'm in full agreement with Omarosa. You can look to Trump's past to see what he will do for women in this country: bully them, sexually assault them, degrade them, and disenfranchise them. (We can evidently expect him to do a lot for the LGBTQ community as well.)
In Omarosa's new role, she is leading the charge to make Trump's administration "the most diverse in history." She adds, "He spoke very openly at the convention about his desire that there be equality for LGBT people, for all people. These are things that have come out of his own mouth." I don't think you want to play the "things that have come out of Donald Trump's mouth" game, Omarosa. But I'm happy to hold the president-elect — as well as any of his surrogates and defenders — accountable to his promise to fight for the diverse range of people he has disrespected and denigrated thus far.