Few in the black community immediately rushed to defend Manigault Newman after she wrote a book entitled "Unhinged" about her time in the White House. It paints a damning picture of Trump, claiming without evidence that tapes exist of him using the N-word as he filmed "The Apprentice" reality series, on which she co-starred.
She has since stepped up her attacks on Trump as she promotes her book, telling The Associated Press on Tuesday that the president is "a racist, a misogynist, a bigot."
"I want to see this nation united as opposed to divided," she said. "I don't want to see a race war, as Donald Trump does."
The deep hostility that African-Americans harbor for Manigault Newman stems largely from her defense of the president or her public silence as he repeatedly attacked the American citizenship of former President Barack Obama; insulted various minority groups and described some African nations as "s--thole" countries. He has also insulted prominent blacks like U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters and NBA superstar LeBron James, said that "many sides" are to blame for the violence at last year's white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and ripped African-American athletes for protesting racial injustice.
As the highest-profile African-American on the White House staff, she pushed back on accusations that Trump was racist. She once told PBS' "Frontline," ''Every critic, every detractor will have to bow down under President Trump."