Hope Hicks

Hope Hicks
Hicks on Air Force One in 2017
Counselor to the President
In office
March 9, 2020 – January 12, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byJohnny DeStefano
Succeeded bySteve Ricchetti
Jeff Zients
White House Communications Director
In office
September 12, 2017 – March 29, 2018
Acting: August 16, 2017 – September 12, 2017
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byAnthony Scaramucci
Succeeded byBill Shine
1st White House Director of Strategic Communications
In office
January 20, 2017 – September 12, 2017
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byMercedes Schlapp
Personal details
Born
Hope Charlotte Hicks

(1988-10-21) October 21, 1988 (age 36)
Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationSouthern Methodist University (BA)

Hope Charlotte Hicks[1] (born October 21, 1988) is an American public relations executive and political advisor who served in President Donald Trump’s administration from 2017 to 2018 and 2020 to 2021. She served as White House director of strategic communications from January to September 2017, as White House communications director from 2017 to 2018,[2][3] and returned to serve as a counselor to the president from 2020 to 2021.[4]

Hicks was a teenage model before following her father into a career in media and communications. After college and a couple of years' work in public relations, she became an employee of the Trump Organization. From there, she became press secretary and early communications director for the Trump 2016 presidential campaign, shifting to national press secretary for the presidential transition team[5][6] before joining the Trump Administration. When Hicks resigned from the Administration in March 2018, she was Trump's longest-serving political aide.[7][8] After her resignation, she was Fox Corporation's chief communications officer and executive vice president.[9][10] She returned to the White House as counselor to President Trump in March 2020 before departing for the final time on January 13, 2021.[11]

Early life and education

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Hicks is the daughter of Caye Ann (Cavender) Hicks and Paul Burton Hicks III.[12] She grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut.[13][14] Her father was Regional CEO, Americas,[15] of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, and executive vice president of communications for the National Football League from 2010 to 2015, before becoming managing director of the Glover Park Group.[5][13][16][17][18] Her family had a history in government administration: her mother was an administrative aide to Ed Jones, a Democratic congressman from Tennessee; her maternal grandfather, G. W. F. "Dutch" Cavender, worked in the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an administrator during two different administrations; and her maternal grandmother, Marilee Cavender, worked at the U.S. Department of Transportation.[19]

Hicks was a teenage model, appearing in Greenwich magazine in 2002.[7] She then posed for a Ralph Lauren campaign with her older sister Mary Grace, and was the face of the Hourglass Adventures novels about a time-traveling 10-year-old.[7] She was the cover model for The It Girl (2005), the first novel in the series by Cecily von Ziegesar.[20]

Hicks attended Greenwich High School, a part of the public Greenwich school system, where she was co-captain of the lacrosse team and graduated in 2006.[14][21][22] She then attended Southern Methodist University, where she majored in English and played on a club lacrosse program she helped start. She graduated in 2010.[7][14][23]

Career

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Early career

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Hicks began in public relations with the New York City firm Zeno Group.[18] She joined public relations firm Hiltzik Strategies in 2012, after meeting the firm's founder at a Super Bowl event, and worked there for Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, on her fashion line, and then on other Trump ventures.[14][24]

In August 2014, Hicks joined the Trump Organization full time.[16] She worked for Ivanka Trump inside Trump Tower, helping expand her fashion label (the Ivanka Trump Collection) and modeling for her online store.[25] In October 2014, she began working directly for Donald Trump.[26]

Trump 2016 presidential campaign

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In January 2015, Donald Trump chose Hicks, who was 26 at the time, for the role of press secretary for his potential presidential campaign.[27] Trump summoned her to his office and, as she tells it, "Mr. Trump looked at me and said, 'I'm thinking about running for president, and you're going to be my press secretary.'"[25] Until that time, she had never worked in politics or volunteered on a campaign.[28] After Trump's first primary victories, Hicks was asked to choose between staying with the Trump Organization or working on the campaign full time. She initially decided to leave the campaign, but Trump convinced her to remain and she stayed on as press secretary.[14]

During the campaign, she played the role of gatekeeper to press members who wanted to speak with Trump, handling over 250 requests a day and deciding which reporters would be allowed to speak with him.[13][28] Hicks also took dictation from Trump for his tweets, and then sent the text to another person in the Trump organization who sent the tweets from Trump's official account.[25][29] When in New York City, she would spend most of her day in Trump's office, handling inquiries from the press and taking dictation from him to tweet.[27] In January 2017, Hicks was included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, having "served as a one-woman press team" for Trump's presidential campaign.[30]

White House Communications Director

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On December 22, 2016, it was announced that Hicks would become part of the Trump administration, in the newly created position of the White House director of strategic communications.

On August 16, 2017, she was appointed as the interim White House communications director (the last director having been Anthony Scaramucci). Politico labeled her the "Untouchable Hope Hicks," as she was considered one of the few White House officials whose job was safe, and one of only two White House communications officials Scaramucci had announced were definitely staying when he was first hired.[31] She was appointed permanent White House communications director on September 12, 2017.[32]

On February 27, 2018, Hicks gave nine hours of closed-door testimony to the House Intelligence Committee. She acknowledged that she sometimes had to tell "white lies" in her work as communications director, but refused to answer any questions about her tenure in the White House.[33] The next day the White House confirmed to The New York Times that Hicks planned to resign.[34] According to "multiple sources," she had been planning to resign for months, and her announcement was unrelated to the events of the preceding 24 hours.[35] She officially resigned on March 29, 2018.[36]

Fox Corporation

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Between March 2018 and March 2020, Hicks was Fox Corporation's chief communications officer and executive vice president.[9][10] During this time, she made over $1.8 million.[37]

In the news, 2019

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On March 4, 2019, the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Hicks requesting information regarding alleged obstruction of justice by the current administration.[38] (She was mentioned over 180 times in Robert Mueller's report on Russian election interference and possible obstruction of justice; the report was released on April 18, 2019.)[39] The Committee subpoenaed documents and her testimony on May 21, 2019.[40] On June 4, 2019, the Trump White House invoked executive privilege, directing Hicks not to provide any documents related to her employment in the Trump administration.[41] She agreed to testify in a closed-door session on June 19, 2019,[42] during which lawyers for the Trump administration forbade Hicks from answering questions 155 times, claiming that due to "absolute immunity," Hicks "may not speak about anything that occurred during the time of her employment in the White House as a close adviser to the president."[43][44] Hicks testified on the scheduled date, and also complied with the White House request to not answer questions.[45][46][47][48]

On July 18, 2019, unredacted search warrant documents from the Michael Cohen criminal case were released, and it appeared a strong possibility that Hicks had known about hush payments made by Michael Cohen on behalf of Donald Trump before the dates she had previously claimed.[49]

Counselor to the President

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Hicks as an aide to Jared Kushner with White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and House minority leader Kevin McCarthy during the 2020 presidential campaign

In February 2020, it was announced that Hicks would return to the White House Office as an aide to Jared Kushner and counselor to President Donald Trump.[4] She officially assumed her roles at the White House on March 9.[50]

On June 1, 2020, during the George Floyd protests in Washington, Hicks and others suggested that Trump walk to St. John's Episcopal Church go across the street from the White House to make a public appearance. Law enforcement subsequently used tear gas and other riot control tactics to forcefully clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square and surrounding streets, creating a path for President Donald Trump and senior administration officials, including Hicks, to the church.[51] It was later reported Hicks had suggested Trump say a prayer at this appearance, but he held up a Bible instead.[52]

On October 1, 2020, it was announced that Hicks had tested positive for COVID-19.[53][54] Because of her positive test and her recent travels with the president, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump were also tested. Hours later, Trump announced that both he and Melania had tested positive and would immediately go into quarantine at the White House.[55][56][57]

The New York Times reported in June 2022 that, in the weeks after the 2020 election Trump falsely insisted had been stolen from him, some of his aides quietly disagreed with him. Hicks advised Trump to move on, leading him to say, "Well, Hope doesn’t believe in me," to which she replied, "No, I don’t. Nobody’s convinced me otherwise." She disappeared from public view in the final weeks of Trump's presidency.[58]

Post-White House testimony

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On October 25, 2022, Hicks sat for a "transcribed interview" with the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.[59][60] Part of the interview, which was videotaped, was televised during the committee's December 19, 2022, public hearing. It featured Hicks stating that during a conversation about his legacy, Trump told her "something along the lines of 'nobody will care about my legacy if I lose ... the only thing that matters is winning.'"[61][62]

On April 1, 2024, it was reported Hicks would testify for the prosecution in the Trump hush money criminal trial.[63] On May 3, 2024, she did so.[64] She provided some detail on Trump's relationship with former American Media Inc. head David Pecker during the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries and also on how Trump wanted his alleged affairs with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal covered up to avoid embarrassment against him and his family in the wake of the Access Hollywood tape release.[64][65]

Personal life

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Before Trump's election, Hicks split her time between Greenwich and Manhattan. When Trump was elected, she moved to Washington, D.C.[22][27][28]

Hicks dated Rob Porter, former White House staff secretary for President Donald J. Trump, from 2017 to late 2018; their relationship had ended by December 2018.[66]

In May 2024, Hope Hicks got engaged to Jim Donovan, a Goldman Sachs investment banker.[67][68]

References

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  1. ^ Fox, Emily Jane (January 22, 2019). ""Like an alien landed in the middle of Los Angeles": Hope Hicks, West Wing alum, begins her second act on the west coast". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast.
  2. ^ Haberman, Maggie (September 12, 2017). "Hope Hicks Is Formally Named White House Communications Director". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  3. ^ Phelps, Jordyn (March 29, 2018). "Trump bids farewell to close aide Hope Hicks". ABC News. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Haberman, Maggie (February 13, 2020). "Hope Hicks to Return to the White House After a Nearly Two-Year Absence". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Nelson, Rebecca (June 7, 2016). "Meet Donald Trump's 27-Year-Old Communications Director, Hope Hicks". Marie Claire. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  6. ^ Nussbaum, Matthew. "Trump transition seeks distance from conservation fundraiser". Politico. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d Grynbaum, Michael (June 26, 2016). "The Woman Who 'Totally Understands' Donald Trump". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  8. ^ Dangremond, Sam. "15 Things You Should Know About Hope Hicks, Donald Trump's Director of Strategic Communications". Town & Country. Archived from the original on December 30, 2016.
  9. ^ a b Selter, Brian (October 8, 2018). "Former Trump aide Hope Hicks joins Fox as head of PR". CNN. Archived from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Hope Hicks Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer". Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  11. ^ Brown, Pamela; Gangel, Jamie (January 13, 2021). "Top White House adviser Hicks no longer works at the White House, a previously planned departure". CNN. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  12. ^ "Paul Hicks Weds Caye A. Cavender". The New York Times. May 16, 1982. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  13. ^ a b c Sebastian, Michael; Friedman, Megan (February 28, 2018). "16 Things to Know About Hope Hicks, President Trump's Communications Director". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018.
  14. ^ a b c d e Nuzzi, Olivia (June 20, 2016). "The Mystifying Triumph of Hope Hicks, Donald Trump's Right-Hand Woman". GQ. Archived from the original on June 20, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  15. ^ "Paul Hicks". LinkedIn. Retrieved August 3, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ a b Viebeck, Elise (July 27, 2015). "Hope Hicks flies quietly in the eye of the Trump storm". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 2, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  17. ^ "On The Campaign Trail With SMU Alum Hope Hicks '10, Donald Trump's Communications Director". Southern Methodist University Magazine. June 2016. Archived from the original on June 23, 2016.
  18. ^ a b Vigdor, Neil (August 4, 2015). "Greenwich natives help Trump, Bush and Obama hone their message". Connecticut Post. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018.
  19. ^ Nuzzi, Olivia (March 18, 2018). "What Hope Hicks Learned in Washington". New York Intelligencer. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  20. ^ Koman, Tess (June 21, 2016). "Here's Why Donald Trump's 27-Year-Old Press Secretary Looks So Familiar". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on June 22, 2016.
  21. ^ Viser, Matt (November 10, 2016). "Hope Hicks Is Everything Her Boss Donald Trump Is Not". Town & Country. New York City. Archived from the original on November 24, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2016. At age 11 she and her older sister were hired to model for Ralph Lauren. Soon she was in the pages of national magazines and had a cameo on the soap opera Guiding Light. She became the face of the Hourglass Adventures, a series of novels for preteen girls featuring a 10-year-old who travels back in time.
  22. ^ a b "Hope & change: The breakout star of Trump's campaign". Connecticut Post. Archived from the original on June 29, 2017.
  23. ^ Hamilton, Matt (November 4, 2016). "From the Mag: A Public Relation". Lacrosse Magazine. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017.
  24. ^ Diamond, Jeremy (November 27, 2017). "Hope Hicks: A witness to Trump's rise". CNN. Archived from the original on November 27, 2017.
  25. ^ a b c Clarke, Jenna (November 15, 2016). "Hope Hicks and Kellyanne Conway – the women of Donald Trump's inner circle". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017.
  26. ^ Samuelshohn, Darren (November 16, 2017). "Hope Hicks may hold the keys to Mueller's Russia puzzle". Politico. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  27. ^ a b c Sherman, Gabriel (April 3, 2016). "Operation Trump: Inside the Most Unorthodox Campaign in Political History". New York Intelligencer. Archived from the original on June 22, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  28. ^ a b c Dangremond, Sam (March 2, 2017). "Hope Hicks Was Responsible for an Important Line in the President's Speech". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017.
  29. ^ Sebastian, Michael (June 21, 2016). "14 Things to Know About Hope Hicks, Donald Trump's 27-Year-Old Former Model Press Secretary". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on June 4, 2017.
  30. ^ Dill, Kathryn. "Meet the 30 Under 30 Who'll be Shaping Law and Policy in Trump's America". Forbes.
  31. ^ McBride, Jessica (August 16, 2017). "Hope Hicks & Donald Trump: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017.
  32. ^ Ballhaus, Rebecca (September 12, 2017). "Hope Hicks Named Permanent White House Communications Director". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017.
  33. ^ Raju, Manu; Herb, Jeremy (February 28, 2018). "Hicks acknowledges white lies, but won't talk White House in testimony". CNN. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  34. ^ Haberman, Maggie (February 28, 2018). "Hope Hicks to Resign as White House Communications Director". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  35. ^ Smith, Allan (February 28, 2018). "Hope Hicks, one of Trump's closest confidants and longest-tenured aide, is resigning". Business Insider. Archived from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  36. ^ Rogers, Katie; Haberman, Maggie (March 29, 2018). "Hope Hicks is Gone, and It's Not Clear Who Can Replace Her". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  37. ^ Schwartz, Brian (August 25, 2020). "Hope Hicks landed lucrative gigs after her first stint at the Trump White House". CNBC. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  38. ^ Bertrand, Natasha (March 4, 2019). "The House's Latest Move Could Be a Big Threat to Trump's Presidency". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  39. ^ Bade, Rachael; Fuchs, Hailey (June 19, 2019). "White House bars former Trump aide from answering questions about her work in administration". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  40. ^ Herb, Jeremy; Raju, Manu (May 21, 2019). "House panel issues subpoenas for Hope Hicks, Annie Donaldson". CNN.
  41. ^ Brown, Pamela; Herb, Jeremy; Raju, Manu (June 4, 2019). "First on CNN: White House directs Hope Hicks, Annie Donaldson to withhold White House documents from House committee". CNN. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  42. ^ Collins, Kaitlan; Liptak, Kevin (June 19, 2019). "Hicks stopped returning some of Trump's calls, now she's testifying". CNN. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  43. ^ Shabad, Rebecca (June 21, 2019). "Hope Hicks stopped 155 times by White House lawyers from answering lawmakers' questions". NBC News. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  44. ^ Stahl, Jeremy (June 20, 2019). "This Passage From Hope Hicks' Testimony Crystallizes the Inanity of the Democrats' Impeachment Stance". Slate. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  45. ^ Wang, Christine (June 20, 2019). "House Democrats release 270-page transcript of Hope Hicks' closed-door testimony". CNBC. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  46. ^ Stieb, Matt (June 20, 2019). "Six Takeaways From Hope Hicks's House Judiciary Testimony". New York Intelligencer. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  47. ^ "Hope Hicks dodges questions from House Democrats: "It's a farce"". Salon. June 20, 2019. Archived from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  48. ^ "Hope Hicks' House committee testimony released". CNN. June 20, 2019. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  49. ^ "New Cohen documents reveal calls with Trump, Enquirer publisher before payment". ABC News. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  50. ^ Cook, Nancy; McGraw, Meredith (April 27, 2020). "Trump looks to Hope Hicks as coronavirus crisis spills over". Politico. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  51. ^ Rogers, Katie (June 1, 2020). "Protesters Dispersed With Tear Gas So Trump Could Pose at Church". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  52. ^ Ellison, Sarah; Dawsey, Josh. "Hope Hicks returned to the White House to pull Trump across the finish line. Then coronavirus hit". Retrieved December 22, 2020 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  53. ^ Betz, Bradford (October 1, 2020). "White House aide Hope Hicks tests positive for coronavirus". Fox News. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  54. ^ Collins, Kaitlan; Acosta, Jim (October 2, 2020). "Close Trump adviser Hope Hicks tests positive for coronavirus, sources say". CNN. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  55. ^ Dawsey, Josh; Itkowitz, Colby. "Trump begins quarantine as close aide Hope Hicks tests positive for coronavirus". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  56. ^ Vella, Lauren (October 1, 2020). "Trump, first lady to quarantine after top aide tests positive for coronavirus". The Hill. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  57. ^ Mason, Jeff (October 2, 2020). "Trump starts "quarantine process" after aide Hope Hicks tests positive for coronavirus". Reuters. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  58. ^ Baker, Peter (June 8, 2022). "How Jared Kushner Washed His Hands of Donald Trump Before Jan. 6". The New York Times.
  59. ^ "Hope Hicks, a longtime Trump aide, interviewing with Jan. 6 committee". NBC News. October 25, 2022.
  60. ^ "Top Trump aide Hope Hicks meets with January 6 committee | CNN Politics". CNN. October 25, 2022.
  61. ^ John, Arit (December 19, 2022). "Criminal referrals, witness tampering, Hicks testimony: Key takeaways from the final Jan. 6 hearing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  62. ^ "Hope Hicks Shows Up to Twist the Knife as 1/6 Committee Implores the DOJ to Prosecute Donald Trump". Vanity Fair. December 19, 2022.
  63. ^ "'Remains to be seen' how Hope Hicks will testify in Trump's hush money trial". MSNBC.com. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  64. ^ a b "Hush money trial live updates: Former Trump senior aide Hope Hicks takes the witness stand". NBC News. May 3, 2024.
  65. ^ Queen, Jack; Pierson, Brendan; Sullivan, Andy (May 3, 2024). "Former Trump aide Hope Hicks testifies 'Access Hollywood' tape roiled campaign". Reuters. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  66. ^ "White House aide Rob Porter resigning amid abuse allegations". CBS News. February 8, 2018. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  67. ^ Nathan, Sara (May 4, 2024). "Hope Hicks engaged to Goldman Sachs exec Jim Donovan". Page Six. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  68. ^ Murphy, Mathew (May 4, 2024). "Hope Hicks, 35, Engaged to Goldman Sachs Boss, 58: Report". The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
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