It’s been a rough year for the presidential cabinet. After a slew of firings and resignations, the turnover rate of Trump’s White House is starting to look like that of your average McDonald’s. However, one member of this band of failed cabinet members has risen above the controversy and successfully re-entered public life without completely ruining her career. Her name is Omarosa Manigault.
Most typically known simply as “Omarosa” to the tabloids, she first entered the public stage as a minor figure in Bill Clinton’s administration and subsequently in Al Gore’s campaign. It’s a well-documented fact that Omarosa was disliked under Clinton and ultimately fired from her position. And, I don’t care what Florida says, the Gore campaign ultimately failed and sent her seeking new employment. Omarosa entered most American’s minds as the first villain character on The Apprentice, where she was first acquainted with future president Donald Trump. She appeared again as the villain on Celebrity Apprentice. In my opinion, Omarosa’s appeal as a villain comes from her image as an educated and successful black woman. I find it hard to believe that her cutthroat attitude and cold business strategy would come off as nefarious if it was placed into an average white guy in his 30s.
Omarosa’s big break into politics came when Trump named her as his director of African-American outreach during his campaign. Judging from Trump’s dismal 15 percent approval rating with black Americans, his director does not seem to have found much success.
After Trump’s election, Omarosa ascended to the rank of communications director for the Office of Public Liaison, a veritable mouthful of a title that is dripping with meaningless official language. Even worse is the apparent lack of focus in her interpretation of the position, which was made apparent when she invited a Daily Beast reporter to follow her average day in the White House, notably without the approval of then-press secretary Sean Spicer or Hope Hicks, the White House communications director. In the unique and fascinating piece, Omarosa led the intrepid journalist on a “whirlwind” adventure through the White House with no clear indication as to what she actually did, complete with a bridal lunch at the expense of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
This apparent lack of drive came to a head on Dec. 13, when she was fired by Chief of Staff John Kelly. Unfortunately, the reality star did not leave with grace and was reportedly physically removed from the White House. The specific reason for the firing was only revealed recently, which was her apparent abuse of the White House car service and use of White House grounds for her wedding photo shoot.
After leaving the, White House Omarosa was quick to shed her support of the president and began to tell stories to the media about the actual goings-on in the Trump White House. These stories include how she was charged for snacks on Air Force One and how Mike Pence receives his divine instructions. Personally, I think it's obvious someone who parted with the current administration under bad circumstances would then stretch the truth about his or her experience, indicated by the fact that none of these tall tales have been verified.
I think the ultimate takeaway from Omarosa’s year in the White House is that she operates primarily with her own interests in mind, whether she is in the White House or on this season of Big Brother. As young people in college, we need to be aware of such figures and their influence in media we consume, especially when those figures do not necessarily have the truth in mind.