Former Trump aide and “Apprentice” star Omarosa Manigault Newman hasn’t shied away from making remarks about the Trump administration during her time on “Celebrity Big Brother.”
In a clip released on Feb. 25, Manigault Newman claimed the Trump administration shunned her from important meetings because she's a black woman.
"I’m inside trying to fight for my own political life while I’m going into meetings with people who are ignoring me," she said. "Because I was black, people wouldn’t even talk to me. It wasn’t just the black thing; it was the woman thing.”
The comment comes nearly two weeks after Manigault Newman bashed Vice President Mike Pence.
"Can I just say this, as bad as y’all think Trump is, you would be worried about Pence," she said. "So everybody that’s wishing for impeachment might want to reconsider their lives."
Manigault Newman first opened up to fellow co-star Ross Mathews about her time in the White House on the show's season premiere on Feb. 7.
“I was haunted by tweets every single day,” she commented. “Like, 'What is he going to tweet next?'”
Matthews asked, “Does anybody say to him, ‘What are you doing?’”
"Honey, I tried to be that person and then all of the people around him attacked me," Manigault Newman replied. "It was like ‘keep her away,’ ‘don’t give her access,’ ‘don’t let her talk to him.’ It’s like, Ivanka’s there, Jared’s there.”
White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah dismissed Manigault Newman’s critical comments on Feb. 8.
“Omarosa was fired three times on 'The Apprentice' and this is the fourth time we let her go,” Shah said. “She had limited contact with the president while she was here. She has no contact now.”
Manigault Newman is competing for $250,000 against basketball star Metta World Peace and actresses Marissa Jaret Winokur and Keshia Knight Pulliam, among others.
The “Big Brother” gig is Manigault Newman’s first since White House chief of staff John Kelly ousted her in December 2017, though White House officials claimed at the time she resigned to “pursue other opportunities.”
During her brief stint in the White House, the 44-year-old worked as an assistant to the president and director of communications for the White House Office of Public Liaison. She previously worked as the director of African-American outreach during Trump’s campaign.
Here are six things to know about Manigault Newman as she steals the limelight on “Big Brother.”
She worked for Al Gore
Manigault Newman worked as the “special assistant of logistics” for former Vice President Al Gore, she told PBS Frontline in September 2016. But a former Gore staffer told People Magazine in 2004 that she was a “scheduling correspondent,” whose job was to “respond to invitations.”
Her brother was murdered
Manigault Newman's brother, Jack Manigault, was allegedly shot in a lover’s quarrel in October 2011.
She met Trump during the first season of “The Apprentice”
Manigault Newman first met Trump in September 2003 when “The Apprentice” was in its first season, she also told PBS Frontline.
But the first season wasn’t her last. Manigault Newman returned to two different spinoffs of the show - “Celebrity Apprentice” and “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice” in 2008 and 2013, respectively.
In addition to feuding with “Apprentice” co-stars, she famously butted heads with Piers Morgan.
She worked for the Trump administration
Manigault Newman worked in the Trump White House until Jan. 20, 2018 - exactly one year after the president's inauguration. She reportedly clashed with Kelly during her time with the administration.
She’s from Ohio
Manigault Newman grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. She attended college at Central State University in Wilberforce, about a three-hour drive from her hometown. She graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism in 1996.
She used to be a Democrat
Manigault Newman told The New York Times in October 2016 that she used to be a Democrat before she allegedly changed parties for Trump.
Fox News’ Sam Chamberlain and The Associated Press contributed to this report.