Omarosa tells Stephen Colbert Trump's presidency makes her 'excited' and 'very, very concerned'
Stephen Colbert just wanted to hear some comforting words from Omarosa Manigault Newman on Wednesday night, but instead was left feeling as "chilled" as ever.
During her time in the Celebrity Big Brother house, the reality star and former White House aide told her fellow housemate Ross Mathews things aren't going to be okay under President Trump. Colbert said he was "chilled" by her words, and asked her to elaborate. She explained that they were discussing immigration (they weren't, Mathews says), and while "we have an opportunity to make it okay," everyone will just have to "wait and see" what Trump does. "This is not a message of hope," Colbert replied.
It was an awkward interview — Omarosa laughed a lot, Colbert did not — and covered her departure from the White House (it wasn't as dramatic as it sounded, Omarosa said) and what white lies she thinks outgoing White House communications director Hope Hicks made on behalf of Trump (Omarosa thinks it was probably the crowd size at his inauguration). She said many of Trump's comments, like saying there were good people "on both sides" at the white supremacist rally last year in Charlottesville, were "unacceptable" and "awful," which Colbert pushed back on, reminding her that she was part of his administration when he made his remarks. "I don't work for him, nor do I regret trying to be voice of reason at the table," she said.
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.
Omarosa grew close to Trump during her multiple stints on The Apprentice, and said as his friend, seeing him as president "has caused me to be excited sometimes and very, very concerned. If you woke up and your best friend was president tomorrow, you'd have the same range of emotions." "If my best friend was president tomorrow," Colbert replied, "I'd feel better." Grab some popcorn, and watch the 19-minute interview below. Catherine Garcia
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
6 exquisite homes for skiersFeature Featuring a Scandinavian-style retreat in Southern California and a Utah abode with a designated ski room
-
Film reviews: ‘The Testament of Ann Lee,’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,’ and ‘Young Mothers’Feature A full-immersion portrait of the Shakers’ founder, a zombie virus brings out the best and worst in the human survivors, and pregnancy tests the resolve of four Belgian teenagers
-
Political cartoons for January 25Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include a hot economy, A.I. wisdom, and more
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
