Former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, Photo Courtesy AP
The New York Times’ Michael Grynbaum writes in a piece published on March 1st that soon-to-be-former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks was such an integral part of the Trump White House that her departure will be a major loss to the president, remaining White House staffers, and the journalists with whom she facilitated meetings and interviews.
Hicks’ departure marks “an astounding rise for a political neophyte whose seemingly implausible career hinged on a deep understanding of, and bottomless patience for, her mercurial charge,” writes Grynbaum.
While Grynbaum makes clear Hope Hicks’ lack of political acumen, he claims that in Washington her “success was viewed as a product of other qualities, including her nuanced understanding of Mr. Trump’s moods, her ability to subtly nudge him away from his coarser impulses and her skill as a liaison for some of the most prominent journalists in the country.”
The reasons for her departure, while not made explicit by the White House, are seen by many to stem from recent headlines Hicks has made from her testimony to the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, February 27th, and the ousting of her ex-boyfriend Rob Porter, the now former White House staff secretary, for domestic abuse allegations last month.
As for post-White House career plans, Hicks is so far mum. Per Grynbaum, “She has told friends that, for now, she has no definite ideas for her life after the West Wing, except that she will not be living in Washington. An extended vacation with her family is planned. Book agents have come calling, but Ms. Hicks has told acquaintances that she is reluctant to write anything — although she has joked that a massive advance could change her mind.”
You can read the full report here.
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