There’s nothing like calling a woman of color a “dog” to prove you’re not a racist.
Politics makes strange bedfellows, and many of us are finding ourselves in the uncomfortable position of siding with Omarosa Manigault Newman since she was called a “crazed, crying lowlife” and a “dog” by Donald Trump on Twitter.
Trump’s tweetstorm came in response to media coverage of Omarosa’s new book, “Unhinged,” including TV appearances where she described Trump’s use of racial slurs and what she characterizes as his mental deterioration.
When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2018
There’s nothing like calling a woman of color a “dog” to prove you’re not a racist.
Trump also tweeted that Mark Burnett, producer of “The Apprentice,” called him to confirm there were no tapes. Because I guess he needed confirmation that he wasn’t caught on tape using a word he said he never uses and isn’t even in his vocabulary?
While the White House, including current and past staffers, has been quick to deny Omarosa’s claims, Omarosa has since provided a recording of a conversation between White House staffers who discussed the president’s use of the n-word and how to bury it.
In the book, Omarosa reveals her “growing realization that Donald Trump was indeed a racist, a bigot and a misogynist.”
“My certainty about the n-word tape and his frequent uses of that word were the top of a high mountain of truly appalling things I’d experienced with him, during the last two years in particular,” Manigault Newman wrote.
It’s a remarkable change of heart from a black woman who staunchly supported Trump throughout his presidential campaign and first year of office. She even worked alongside the president as his assistant, and the director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison until December 2017.
It’s tempting to dismiss Omarosa’s claims. Certainly, that’s what the Trump White House wants us to do. Sarah Huckabee Sanders made it clear during today’s press briefing that they want to move on — even as Trump is still angrily tweeting about it.
But there’s no denying there’s plenty of evidence to support the argument that Trump is a racist. The real question is why did it take Omarosa so long to discover it?
Trump has fired and rehired Omarosa four times during the course of their relationship on “The Apprentice” and otherwise. He’s long since paraded her as a smart black woman who supported him: an unquestionable win for a man otherwise hated by her demographic (only 6 percent of college-educated black women voted for Trump). She was useful to him — until she wasn’t.
I’m not going to weigh in on the motivations and career decisions of a black woman in Trump’s America. Plenty of black writers have done so already, far better than I possibly could. But it strikes me that Trump’s hatred for Omarosa has a particularly bitter edge. Even for him.
Trump hates strong women, that much is clear. But no matter how much he hates Hillary Clinton or Nancy Pelosi, there is a level to which he won’t stoop. A level that is too low even for him. Despite his constant attacks against powerful women, he doesn’t call white women crazed or dogs. He reserves those insults for a black woman.
Even in his viciousness, Trump reveals himself as a bigot and a misogynist.
Of course, this is news to precisely no one. Omarosa may be claiming surprise, but no one else is. We knew he grabbed a woman by her pussy and we still voted him in to office. If the n-word tapes are ever released, it’ll be another blip on Trump’s radar.
But, for now, the 53 percent of white women who voted for Trump have a choice: Continue to support a racist misogynist or finally admit you were conned by a con artist and start making amends. You can start by speaking out against Trump’s racist remarks and supporting black women at work, in your community, and even on the hellish wasteland of Twitter.
Jody Allard is a former techie-turned-freelance-writer living in Seattle. She can be reached through her website, on Twitter or via her Facebook page.
Other Links: