Hope Hicks, President Trump’s former aide who followed him from the Trump Organization to the White House, is returning in a new role to work on projects led by Jared Kushner.
She left the administration two years ago and become chief communications officer at Fox, but her departure left a hole that insiders say was never filled by a president who places a high value on loyalty and the small circle of officials who were with him from the start his election campaign.
His role will be counselor to the president and senior adviser, according to White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who described Hicks, 31, as “one of the most talented and savvy individuals I have come across.”
“She has always impressed me with her quiet confidence, loyalty and expertise and I am beyond thrilled to welcome Hope back to the White House,” Grisham said.
Hicks had told confidants that she would only considering coming back to the White House once the various federal and congressional investigations into the president and his election campaign were complete.
Her return comes shortly after it emerged the White House was rehiring Johnny McEntee, Trump’s former body man. It means the president has two closely trusted aides back in place as the 2020 election campaign heats up.
Hicks was the first person Trump’s campaign hired in 2015. She was employed by Ivanka Trump’s fashion brand at the time, after working for a public relations firm.
She rose to become White House communications director and was Trump’s longest serving political aide when she resigned.
“There is no one more loyal, talented or fun than Hope,” former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders wrote on Twitter. “Not only is she brilliant she is an amazing friend and will be a tremendous asset to the President and his team.”
Although she largely avoided the spotlight, Hicks was pulled into the scandal surrounding former White House staff secretary Rob Porter’s domestic abuse allegations. The two had reportedly been dating at the time, and she was involved in drafting the White House’s initial response to Porter’s past.
She announced her decision to leave the White House a day after she acknowledged to the House Intelligence Committee that she occasionally told “white lies” for Trump.
Since last fall, she has been based in Los Angeles, working as a chief of communications officer at Fox, the spinoff company started by Lachlan Murdoch.
