Omarosa Manigault: Prominent black Trump supporter resigns from White House post

It is not unusual new administrations to see a cluster of departures after the first year

Ms Manigault Newman will leave the White House next month (AP)

A prominent black support of President Donald Trump is planning on leaving her post in the White House next month after a year of service, the administration says.

Omarosa Manigault Newman, who is a senior aide at the Office of the Public Liason, has tendered her resignation, and plans on leaving the West Wing January 20 — one year after Mr Trump’s inauguration.

“Omarosa Manigault Newman resigned yesterday to pursue other opportunities,” Ms Sanders said in a statement. ”Her departure will not be effective until January 20, 2018. We wish her the best in future endeavors and are grateful for her service.”

The resignation comes after reports of tumult in the White House Tuesday evening, and after what has been reported as a contentious tenure for Ms Manigault Newman working for Mr Trump. It was not immediately clear what that tumult was, or if it played a decisive role in her departure.

Ms Manigault Newman, who previously competed on Mr Trump’s reality show “The Apprentice”, originally took over the top communication post in the office she works for, but reportedly began to feel as though her role was ill-defined once Chief of Staff John Kelly took over as Mr Trump’s second in command, sources told CNN.

While the Trump White House has seemed particularly shaky in its first year, and has experienced several high-profile resignations or firings, it is not unusual for a series of departures to occur after the first year of a presidency. Still, the brutal nature of the first year for personnel has some in the administration preparing for more people to leave than normal.

In addition to Ms Manigault Newman, the White House announced last week that Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell will also step down from her position next year. That announcement came last week.

Ms Manigault Newman was perhaps best known for her appearances on Mr Trump's reality television show "The Apprentice", where she debuted on the first season. Her tenure on that show made her something of a household name for fans of reality television, and was often simply known by her first name.

While in the White House, Ms Manigault Newman served as the chief adviser on African American issues, and had attacked the Congressional Black Caucus in June for "showboating" after that group refused to meet with the President.