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NYT Haberman Says Trump Will Contact Reporters Directly in Post-Hope Hicks White House

March 9, 2018 By Tammy Haddad

Maggie Haberman in front of Air Force One, Photo Courtesy Vanity Fair

Donald Trump stunned reporters in the White House briefing room on Thursday, March 8th with a surprise appearance, his first ever in front of the correspondents who usually grill Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The brief appearance acted as a teaser for his planned meeting with Kim Jong Un. President Trump is reportedly angry at Sanders for her comments about his legal case with the porn star Stormy Daniels.

Washington’s favorite White House columnist, New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, says that this move is indicative of a post-Hope Hicks White House and for Trump’s interactions with the press a sign of things to come.

Trump reaching out more directly to reporters – a la popping into briefing room, working phones – is likely in the post-Hicks era

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) March 8, 2018

Filed Under: News Media Tagged With: briefing, Donald Trump, Hope Hicks, Maggie Haberman, New York Times, Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stormy Daniels, Tammy Haddad, Washington, White House

NYTimes’ Grynbaum: Trump Losing Hope Hicks Akin to “Losing a Limb”

March 2, 2018 By Tammy Haddad

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.

Filed Under: News Media Tagged With: Hope Hicks, Michael Grynbaum, Rob Porter, Tammy Haddad, the New York Times, Trump, White House

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Exploring “behind the scenes” of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

We track the White House Correspondents’ weekend and all the activities around it, from journalists and media companies to the White House and politicos.

Tammy Haddad is Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief of WHC Insider and CEO of Haddad Media.

White House Correspondents Insider is not affiliated with or approved by the White House Correspondents’ Association, which is a registered trademark of the WHCA.

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