JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Many people in Northeast Florida have experience in Washington D.C., whether its in law enforcement, the military, or in civil service and Congress.
Perhaps one of those most notable names is Omarosa Manigault Newman, who starred in the first season of NBC’s reality series The Apprentice, hosted by Donald Trump long before he became president.
Manigault Newman, often known mononymously as Omarosa, spoke with News4Jax on Wednesday. She provided her thoughts on the events that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol.
RELATED: Pro-Trump mob storms US Capitol in bid to overturn election
The president gave his supporters a boost into action Wednesday morning at a rally outside the White House, where he urged them to march to the Capitol.
“There’s power in the words that come from the president, you know. They can inspire. We can see they can incite. There is only one person to blame for this, and it’s the rhetoric of Donald Trump,” Manigault Newman said. “At his rally just a week ago, he encouraged his followers to do exactly what we saw unfold today. And so we have to really call a spade a spade.”
She continued, “Donald Trump is the reason that this unfolded. But more importantly, when he had an opportunity to kind of calm the waters and just send out a statement to have his followers pull back, he did not. And that’s where I think we’re most concerned. What are we going to see in the next 16 days coming from Donald Trump and the White House?”
After the protesters breached the Capitol, Trump would later post on Twitter:
“Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!”
Images taken show thousands of people listen to Trump during the Wednesday rally, protesting the electoral college certification of President-elect Joe Biden. One photo shows a Confederate flag in the crowd, which contains the image of a firearm and the words “come and take it.”
“To be discussing the Confederate flag in 2021 really speaks to where we are as a nation,” Manigault Newman said. “There is no question that that flag is a symbol of division and hate for our country, but more importantly, its intent. When you see it is to make people of color like myself to be afraid, to feel as if we don’t belong, and so seeing those flags flying and the other symbols of hate, it was just so disheartening. And I hope that tomorrow’s a new day, but today will go down in history as probably one of the worst moments out of the last four years of this administration.”
Manigault Newman released a booked called “Unhinged” about her time in the White House.
In the book, she describes the world around the president as a cult in which he creates his own reality and the White House as a place where everyone lies.