Early Wednesday morning, reports began to emerge claiming that Trump had chosen Director of Strategic Communications Hope Hicks as his new communications director. If the reports, which The Daily Caller was first to publish, are true, then the 28-year-old will take over for Anthony Scaramucci, who was fired less than two weeks into his tenure. The Daily Caller supposedly obtained the information from an anonymous White House insider. Bustle has reached out to Hicks for comment.
Hicks initially entered the spotlight after people began noticing she was the only other person present in the room during a July 2017 New York Times interview with Trump. Though she's been criticized for reportedly not intervening to moderate Trump's words to the press, it's also possible that she stands back because she doesn't have prior political experience — like much of Trump's staff. Furthermore, some experts have concluded that Trump's personality is simply too volatile to attempt to control. “She’s doing an excellent job with the worst client in the history of the world,” Stu Loeser, former press secretary to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, told Politico. “There isn’t a permanent solution to him calming down.” In fact, Hicks colleagues told Politico that she isn't unlike Ivanka Trump, who has the president's ear, but rarely stands against him or disagrees with him in a public way.
Hicks didn't always live in Washington D.C. close to the White House. She was born in the town of Greenwich, Connecticut, and grew up as a lacrosse player, model, and actress. Eventually, she attended Southern Methodist University for a degree in English and became involved with the Trumps after Ivanka hired her in 2014 as a Trump Organization employee. The two women had crossed paths because Hicks worked for a public relations firm affiliated with Ivanka's brand. In January 2015, Trump officially brought her onto the presidential campaign. According to Business Insider, that actually means Hicks is Trump's longest serving campaign staff member from his initial "inner circle."
If Hicks was offered the position of White House communications director and did indeed accept it, then her role within the Trump administration will take a dramatic turn. While the director of strategic communications role can be fulfilled largely behind the scenes, a promotion would mean you'll see Hicks speaking in front of the camera much more often, as Scaramucci and his predecessor Sean Spicer did in the past.
