A contestant on ‘The Bachelor’ is facing criticism for her ties to Trump. Is it fair?

As the Jan. 22 premiere of Joey Graziadei’s season of “The Bachelor” draws closer, fans are taking to social media to debate one contestant’s ties to former President Donald Trump.

Marlena Haddad, who is one of the 32 women vying for Graziadei’s heart this season, worked in the Trump administration as the director of research in the presidential personnel office in 2020, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Before that, while in college at UConn, she interned on the Fox Business show “Mornings with Maria” and served as a correspondent for Campus Reform, a news site that describes itself as a “conservative watchdog to the nation’s higher education system.”

Also as a college student, Haddad appeared in a Fox News segment about a UConn event featuring political activist Linda Sarsour.

“Haddad criticized the event, telling ‘Fox & Friends’ she was ‘appalled’ and ‘very disappointed with my university,’” according to The Palm Beach Post.

Conservatives on ‘The Bachelor’

“Bachelor” fans are divided over whether Haddad’s work in the Trump White House and for conservative causes more broadly should factor into her appearance on the show.

On Reddit, Instagram, X and other sites, some are arguing that it makes sense for the show to have a politically diverse cast, while others are expressing their hope that Graziadei will send Haddad home on the first night or that she’ll be painted as a villain by producers.

“Seeing people decide to simply shrug their shoulders to this, as if an insurrection didn’t happen in Trump’s name, is shocking to me,” commented one Reddit user on a post about Haddad’s work for the Trump administration.

“Job experience is job experience. You want to talk about a cutthroat industry to get into, garner experience and make your way? Look no further than politics,” said another.

Haddad is far from the first “Bachelor” contestant to have her employment history scrutinized by fans, nor the first to face backlash for appearing to support Trump.

For example, as “The Bachelorette” Season 19 aired in 2022, contestant Erich Schwer, who ultimately got engaged to Gabby Windey during the finale, was criticized by some fans for following an Instagram account associated with Trump and for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat in one of his own Instagram pictures.

These debates rarely spill onto the actual show, which is more likely to feature controversy over who “stole” time with the lead than about topics like politics or religion.

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Marlena Haddad from ‘The Bachelor’

Haddad, 27, grew up in Waterbury, Connecticut, but now lives in West Palm Beach, Florida.

She works as a writer and analyst for the financial website SPACInsider.com, according to her LinkedIn.

Marlena’s bio on the ABC website highlights her interest in settling down and having kids.

“In five years, Marlena hopes to be married with two kids and continue fostering rescue dogs,” it says.

How to watch ‘The Bachelor’

Graziadei was picked to star in the latest season of “The Bachelor” after appearing in Charity Lawson’s season of “The Bachelorette.” He was the runner-up to Lawson’s now-fiancé, Dotun Olubeko.

Graziadei is a Pennsylvania native but has spent much of his adult life in Hawaii working as a tennis pro.

During his time on “The Bachelorette,” Graziadei earned praised for talking about his unique family background. His parents divorced during his childhood after his dad came out as gay, but remained close as they co-parented together.

“Both my parents were amazing co-parents, so the fact that that didn’t work out doesn’t take away from romance for me,” Graziadei said during a recent podcast interview, according to Today.com.

Season 28 of “The Bachelor” will air on Monday nights on ABC and stream on Hulu.