These Photos Of Hope Hicks Show The Quiet Power She Had In Trump's White House

One of President Trump's most trusted political advisers abruptly announced on Thursday that she'll be resigning from the White House. Despite being one of the more under-the-radar officials in the Trump administration, photos of Hicks from her White House tenure show the quiet power that she's wielded since joining the Trump team more than three years ago.

Hicks has been with Trump since before he even decided to run for president, having joined the Trump Organization in 2014 as a staffer for his daughter, Ivanka. The next year, Trump tapped Hicks, who was then a 26-year-old former model with no political experience, to serve as the press secretary for his nascent presidential campaign. She's been with him ever since, and although she's kept a much lower profile than some other White House officials, Hicks is widely believed to have a closer relationship with Trump than almost anybody else outside of his family.

Recently, though, Hicks was grilled by lawmakers investigating Russia's election meddling, and her answers in that session led to a series of unflattering headlines. She'll soon be the fourth White House Communications Director to resign under Trump — but prior her departure, she was one of the most powerful people in the White House, a fact evident in photos of her on the job.

Thank You

After Trump won the election, but before he was sworn in, he held a "thank you" rally in Mobile, Alabama. Hicks was by his side.

Last Rally

On November 8th, 2016, Hicks accompanied Trump as the candidate held his last rally of the campaign in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Transition Team

As the president-elect was filling out his cabinet prior to taking office, Hicks and fellow top advisor Stephen Miller were a constant presence at Trump Tower in New York City.

Day One

Hicks was there on Inauguration Day, when Trump was sworn in as America's 45th president. Here, she's pictured next to Kellyanne Conway, another one of the small handful of top Trump officials to survive his first year in office.

Executive Orders

Five days into his presidency, Trump signed a series of executive orders intended to expedite construction on oil pipelines, specifically the Dakota Access Pipeline. Hicks was right there with him during that moment, standing next to Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Called In For Questioning

Hicks is close enough to the president that the House Intelligence Committee, which is investigating Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election, called her in for questioning as part of its probe. During her interview, she reportedly refused to answer questions about her time in the White House — although she did acknowledge that she's told "white lies" for Trump in the past.

Part of the Family

According to Fire and Fury, Michael Wolff's controversial book about the Trump administration, many in the White House came to view Hicks "as Trump’s real daughter," so close is her relationship to the president. Incidentally, two of the other officials in the above picture — Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus, formerly Trump's top advisor and chief of staff — were ousted from their positions before Hicks' departure.

Remembering 9/11

When Trump gave remarks commemorating the 16th anniversary of the attacks of September 11th, Hicks was in attendance. She's seen here being greeted by Gary Cohn, Trump's chief economic advisor.

There's been no official word on why Hicks has decided to leave her White House post, but Maggie Haberman of the New York Times reports that it had nothing to do with her recent congressional testimony. According to ABC News' Jordan Phelps, Hicks simply "doesn't like Washington and doesn't want to part of the system." Phelps added, however, that Hicks hasn't ruled out the possibility of returning to the White House some day.