Omarosa Manigault Newman's latest book, Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House and her subsequent release of tapes from the White House are shaking up Washington and the nation.
One of the claims in the book that's been scrutinized is Manigault Newman's assertion that tapes exist of Trump using the N-word. Despite heavy denials from Trump, his administration and his supporters, a newly-released tape appears to vindicate Manigault Newman's claims.
The conversation--which took place a month before the 2016 election--occurs between Manigault Newman, former Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson, and Lynne Patton––a member of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and personal friend of the president.
While none of them appear to have personally heard the tape, they appear to discuss that President Trump acknowledged its existence, with Patton saying:
He goes, 'How do you think I should handle it?' And I told him exactly what you just said, Omarosa, which is, 'Well, it depends on what scenario you are talking about.' And he said, 'Well, why don’t you just go ahead and put it to bed.
Pierson responds:
He said — no, he said it. He is embarrassed.
The tape's existence has long been rumored, but has never been released. Penn Jilette, a comedian and 2013 contestant on Celebrity Apprentice claimed recently in an interview, however, that Trump repeatedly made racist and sexist remarks that made him uncomfortable during the taping of the show.
Trump took to Twitter this morning and berated Manigault Newman, Going so far as to call her a dog.
The day before, he stressed that Manigault Newman had signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
It now appears that Trump's counsel will be taking her to court for breaking the confidentiality agreement.
Patton also took to Twitter this morning to refute the claims.
As has Pierson, who on Monday went to Fox News before the tapes were released to deny that the conversation even happened.
Notably, neither of the two women involved in the conversation have addressed why they both appear to mention personally speaking to the president about his usage of it.
To many, it doesn't matter.
The president, in the past, has equated white supremacists with those protesting against them. During his campaign, he hesitated to condemn the Ku Klux Klan. His real estate ventures have a long history of housing discrimination. He vilified the Central Park Five, despite their exoneration through DNA evidence. He insisted for years that the nation's first black president was not born in the United States.
To many, Trump saying the N-word would just be verbal confirmation of what his actions have been displaying for years. Therefore, even if the tape were released, it's doubtful to some that it would have an extreme impact on his presidency.
While a tape may have been useful during the campaign, few expect it to be damaging now. The call is coming from inside the White House.
It's possible that Manigault Newman or her sources have more tapes, but it's hard to imagine anything Trump could be recorded saying that would somehow undo his presidency. Or at least, anything he hasn't already said on a microphone.
