Omarosa drops a new tape purportedly proving the Trump campaign knew about Trump's rumored N-word video


On Monday night, former Trump campaign officials Lynne Patton and Katrina Pierson unequivocally denied a claim in Omarosa Manigault Newman's White House tell-all, Unhinged, that they participated in an October 2016 conference call to discuss the potential fallout from a video of then-candidate Trump saying the N-word. On Tuesday morning, Manigault Newman dropped a new tape.
"CBS has not been able to verify the authenticity of the tape, but it does appear to confirm Omarosa's claims that Trump campaign officials were aware of this tape, in which then-candidate Trump used a racial slur, and they talked about how to handle it," CBS's Weijia Jiang said on CBS This Morning. Then she played the tape, which features Patton — now a top Housing and Urban Development official — Pierson, and former campaign communications director Jason Miller.
This doesn't look great for Patton and especially Pierson, but the conversation could theoretically be about some other potential Trump scandal caught on tape, or perhaps Manigault Newman doctored the recordings. Also, none of the three claims to have heard the tape, though none of them seem overly surprised that their boss used a terrible racial slur, either.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
August 30 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump's role reversal and King George III
-
5 bullseye cartoons about the reasons for mass shootings
Cartoons Artists take on gun worship, a price paid, and more
-
Lisa Cook and Trump's battle for control the US Fed
Talking Point The president's attempts to fire one of the Federal Reserve's seven governor is represents 'a stunning escalation' of his attacks on the US central bank
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodus
Speed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportation
Speed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda