- Former White House adviser Omarosa Manigault Newman claims in her new book that President Donald Trump balked at the idea of putting abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the twenty-dollar bill.
- Manigault Newman wrote that Trump, when shown an image of Tubman, said “You want me to put that face on the twenty-dollar bill?”
- Trump has previously spoken out against removing former President Andrew Jackson’s image, and the administration has yet to commit to featuring Tubman.
- The White House has called Manigault Newman’s book “riddled with lies and false accusations”.
Former White House adviser Omarosa Manigault Newman claims in her new book that President Donald Trump balked at the idea of putting abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.
In “Unhinged,” Manigault Newman describes the deliberation over a new figure on the twenty-dollar bill. She wrote that Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin told her, “it’s not something I’m focused on at the moment.”
Manigault Newman wrote that she then pushed the decision to Trump, who reportedly replied, “You want me to put that face on the twenty-dollar bill?”
Manigault Newman wrote she was offended by Trump’s reaction to “the woman who personally brought more than three hundred slaves to freedom, risking her own life every time.”
Trump has previously objected to replacing former President Andrew Jackson's image on the $20 bill. After former President Barack Obama's treasury secretary announced Tubman as the new image in 2016, Trump said Jackson had "a great history," and Tubman should be honored on a bill of a different denomination.
"I think Harriet Tubman is fantastic," Trump told the "Today" show in April 2016. "I would love to leave Andrew Jackson and see if we can come up with another denomination. Maybe we can do the $2 bill? I don't like seeing it. I think it's pure political correctness."
The Treasury Department wouldn't commit to the switch as late as last month, and Mnuchin has avoided a declaration on the redesign since Trump took office, saying in a January speech "we haven't made any decisions."
Manigault Newman describes the move as favoring dismantling the legacy of the Obama administration over issuing a lasting token of legacy to Tubman, who was born into slavery and rose to prominence in American history for establishing the Underground Railroad.
Trump's alleged distaste for Tubman's face described in the book apparently came shortly after the violent clash between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia that started over the removal of a Confederate statue.
Trump did not immediately condemn white nationalists for the incident, setting off a storm of backlash against the administration's often-criticized handling of racial tensions, which Omarosa refers to as the "long, horrible month."
The White House has dismissed Manigault Newman's claims
Manigault Newman's book contains many fiery hits against Trump's character, calling him a "racist," "misogynist," and a "bigot" based on anecdotes from her year-long stint in the administration, her work on his presidential campaign, and her appearances on his reality TV show, "The Apprentice".
Her claim that she heard a tape of Trump using the N-word while on the set of "The Apprentice" has set off a firestorm from officials, who flatly deny the allegation.
The White House didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment on this story.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders released a statement saying the book is is "riddled with lies and false accusations", and Trump has been attacking Manigault Newman's credibility on Twitter for days.
In the White House press briefing on Tuesday, Sanders said Manigault Newman "clearly cares more about herself than our country."
"She worked here for a year, and didn't have any of these things to say. In fact, everything she said was quite the opposite - not just in the year that she worked here but the time that she spent on the campaign trail," Sanders said "I think it's really sad what she's doing at this point."
"Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House" is on sale Tuesday.