The Palm Beach Post

Omarosa is misunderst­ood, says friend

West Palm rapper describes their relationsh­ip.

- By Leslie Gray Streeter Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Omarosa

Omarosa Manigault has always had a controvers­ial public profile, ever since she appeared as a sharptongu­ed contestant on the inaugural season of now-President Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice.”

Now a communicat­ions director in the Trump White House, she’s embroiled in a war of words with radio and TV journalist April Ryan, who on Thursday had a high-profile exchange with Trump during a press conference. But at least one West Palm Beach resident thinks she’s misunderst­ood.

“She was always portrayed as the villain, and I think that oftentimes, villains get persecuted, until we’re made to find out they were really the hero; that they were misunderst­ood,” says Eddy Puyol, who met Manigault seven years ago when Trump tried to set them up.

In 2010, Puyol, a West Palm Beach Christian rapper who performs under the name Rawsrvnt, was a contestant on TVOne’s “Donald J. Trump Presents: The Ultimate Merger.” It was a dating show on which he and other bachelors, including ’80s/’90s R&B singer Al B. Sure, vied for Manigault’s affections.

“I’m really, really excited for h e r, ” h e s ays o f Mani g au l t ’s appointmen­t. “She’s turned major league. She has the inside spot (with Trump). I think some of it is a little of an act, with how tough she is, or maybe it’s the years of experience she has with dealing with people.”

Manigault’s issues with Ryan began last week when the reporter accused Manigault of bullying her outside the White House and telling her that the White House was keeping a dossier on her and other reporters. Then, in Thursday’s press conference, when Ryan asked the president if he planned to meet with the Con- gressional Black Caucus about urban developmen­t and issues in the African-American community, he asked if they were “friends of yours” and if she would “set up a meeting.”

But Eddy Puyol, the brother of former Dwyer High School football standout Bobby Puyol, currently a senior at University of Connecticu­t, believes that Manigault will survive these controvers­ies.

When the show began shooting at Trump Tower in Las Vegas, Puyol says he and the other contestant­s were not initially told who

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 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? Omarosa Manigault and Eddy “Rawsrvnt” Puyol during a television interview.
CONTRIBUTE­D Omarosa Manigault and Eddy “Rawsrvnt” Puyol during a television interview.

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