On Thursday, Omarosa Manigault spoke at theย National Action Networkโs New York convention, where she faced an incredibly tough crowd as the conference was the largest gathering of African-American White House critics since Donald Trump was elected president.
One of Omarosaโs sharpest critic in the room was CNN political commentator and former Congressional Black Caucus executive director, Angela Rye.
โIโm going to bring the fire right now. Moments ago, we were joined by your presidentโs apprentice,โ Ryeย said, referring to President Trumpโs White House communications director. โThe truth is, when you tell somebody youโre going to fight for them, Iโm going to tell you how not to fight for them. You donโt fight for them by putting forth a tax reform plan that cuts corporate tax rates but ignores the poor. You donโt fight for them by cutting taxes for the rich, and ensuring that burden is going to be on the backs of the poor and ordinary black and brown people.โ
Damn @angela_rye with the bars
https://t.co/nAdcPgd13I
โ Terry King Jr (@The18thKing) April 27, 2017
Omarosa spoke at theย womenโs power luncheon, which featured MC Lyte,ย Sheraton Times Square, citing the administrationโs commitment to historically black colleges and universities as well as itsย Small Business Administration. Her comments did not sit well with her audience, though, as she defended a president who has long been criticized for his views and actions regarding women and minorities.
But Omarosa didnโt back down from the fight. When she was met with groans for bringing up Trumpโs first 100 days, she replied, โOh, Iโm ready. I know what I came into, and Iโm not scared.โ
She added that she wouldย โfight for you in the White House.โ
โI am looking forward to partnering with you, continuing to work on behalf of the National Action Network in Los Angeles but more importantly, the President of the United States,โ she said as the audience groaned some more.
But Ryeโs comments, by contrast, highlighted a different interpretation of Trumpโs politics. Sheย recalled Trump demanding the death penalty of the Central Park Five, five African-American men accused of the rapeย and murder of a white woman in 1989. Though the men were later acquitted after DNA evidence proved their innocence.
Rye also pointed outย that Trump and his father were at the center ofย of severalย civil rights lawsuits, allegingย that they discriminated against black tenants; andย scoffed at false claim that former President Barack Obama was not born in the U.S. Trump would later retract his wild claims.
โHow you donโt fight for us is by pissing on me and telling me its raining! Thatโs not how you fight for me,โ Rye roared as the audience rose to their feet in applause.
At the end of the awards luncheon, NAN founder and president Reverend Al Sharpton asked Omarosa to speak highlyย of the event to her boss in the Oval Office.
โI want you to bring a message back that you were respected here at the National Action Network because thatโs how we behave,โ Sharpton said. โWeโve had Bill OโReilly here, weโve had Sean Hannity here. We respect you. But I wish the President would respect us,โ he said.
โHe [Trump] and I have known each other for 30 years. Both of us are outer-borough New Yorkers. He comes from Queens where they donโt mind mixing it up and I come from Brooklyn where we kick butt and take names.โ
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