Racial tension over Charlottesville allegedly sparked Omarosa's departure from Trump White House

Updated
Racial tension over Charlottesville allegedly sparked Omarosa's departure from Trump White House

Omarosa Manigault-Newman has been an ally of President Donald Trump since her appearance on "The Apprentice" in 2004, but her role in his White House will now come to an end after her departure was announced on Wednesday morning.

New reporting suggests that racial tension with the president may have played a key role in her departure.

According to Buzzfeed News, Trump's reaction to the white nationalist protests that broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia over the summer upset her. At the time, Trump seemed to sympathize with the white nationalists and others who marched in protest of plans to remove a Confederate monument from a public park. At the time, Trump couched many of his comments on the matter as pitting one "bad" group of people against another group that was also "violent" and at fault in various way.

The comments inspired many critics, but the report suggests Omarosa was particularly bothered. A White House official told Buzzfeed the former contestant from Trump's reality show "struggled with being an African-American senior staffer with all the racial incidents in the White House."

She joined his administration as director of communications for the White House Office of Public Liaison, spearheading outreach to various groups, including African Americans.

While her possible departure had been rumored for months, reporting emerged on Wednesday suggesting that she had been escorted out of the White House in a dramatic fashion. While House Chief of Staff John Kelly had reportedly been displeased with her influence over the president and that she "acted very vulgar and cursed a lot and said she helped elect President Trump" on her final day.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has been relatively tight lipped about the events that led to the departure.

"Omarosa Manigault Newman resigned yesterday to pursue other opportunities. Her departure will not be effective until January 20, 2018," she said in a statement regarding the matter.

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