Donald J. Trump, left, the Republican nominee for president, and Omarosa Manigault, right, the director of African-American outreach for the Trump Campaign.
Omarosa Manigault has been appointed the director of Donald Trump’s African-American outreach, an effort that will be ramped up post-convention. Ms. Manigault, who was known for her role on the 2004 season of “The Apprentice,” confirmed the appointment earlier this week.
“I am the director of African-American outreach for Donald Trump. I am proud to serve in that role,” Ms. Manigault said on Monday. “It is a very difficult time for our country, but the good thing I know is that I know Donald Trump at his heart … and I know what he can do in that role.”
The new director appointment will be part of a major outreach campaign in inner-cities and other regions in what is quickly becoming an expanding battleground map. As an ordained minister, Ms. Manigault will reach out to black voters of faith, many of whom feel they have been left behind by the Democratic Party. Speaking about a recent poll showing Mr. Trump with almost zero percent support among African Americans in Ohio, her home state, Ms. Manigault said she didn’t put a lot of faith in them.
“I just spent an amazing weekend with African Americans for Trump, about 300 of them,” she said. “My reality is I’m surrounded by people who want to see Donald Trump as the next president of the United States who are African Americans. Donald Trump is focused on improving the conditions of African Americans in this country … unemployment in African-American community is at an all time high.”
During an interview on Fox News Wednesday, she also said the outreach part of the campaign has partnered with unconventional venues, such as beauty shops and the like, where pocketbook decisions are made and other issues are discussed in the community.
Meanwhile, the appointment didn’t go without criticism. Spike Lee took to social media to slam Ms. Manigault, even referring to her as the N word.
“Who’s next? Step N’ Fetchit? Aunt Jemina? Uncle Ben? Sleep N’ Eat? Rastus? Lil’ (N-word) Jim?” Lee asked in a rant on Instagram. “Omarosa gonna give out free Popeye’s Chicken with sides to deliver (the) black vote to Trump? YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF. #blacklivesmatter.”
While those truly enlightening words by Mr. Lee will come across as reprehensible to many, they won’t be the last.
