Just over two weeks since Anthony Scaramucci was fired as White House communications director, the Trump administration has named a temporary replacement: senior communications adviser Hope Hicks, news site Daily Caller first reported.
One of Trump's first campaign staffers and longest-serving aides, Hicks is now the fourth person to assume the responsibility since he took office. At 28, the Trump aide has an English degree from the Southern Methodist University and a relatively new career in politics. Here are six things you may not know about Hicks.
She is among the youngest, highest-paid White House staffers
As an assistant to the president and director of strategic communications, Hope is among the top 22 highest-paid Trump White house staffers.
Earning $179,700 a year, this makes Hicks one of the six top-paid women in the White House, racking in just as much as Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway.
She has close ties to the Trump family
In 2012, Hicks worked for Hiltzik Strategies, the public relations firm that represented Ivanka Trump's luxury fashion lines at the time, reports the Hartford Courant. The same firm allowed her to work on PR for Trump real estate, immediately after which Trump asked Hicks to join his campaign.
As the Trump Organization's communications director, Ivanka Trump featured Hicks on her brand's style blog.
When Trump visited Mar-a-Lago last year, Hicks' family traveled to visit as well, The New York Times reports.
Earlier this year, Hicks joined Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump for Shabbat dinner at their Kalorama mansion, Politico reports.
She didn't think she would be in politics...
Hicks was named to this year's Forbes 30 Under 30 list and says she knew very little about politics prior to the Trump campaign. She adds that running Trump's campaign and working in D.C. politics are "two totally different things."
"I think now, being a novice is much more jarring to me than being a novice on a campaign because there are so many people that are new to it, you're all sort of trying to figure everything out as it comes to you whether you know what you have experience in or not," she tells Forbes.
Though Hicks prefers to be "off-the-radar" as Politico writes, her new position might not allow her the same privilege.
hope hicks rally "If I hadn't gotten involved in the campaign I would hopefully still be working at the Trump organization in a corporate capacity for such a wonderful family and they built an incredible company and it was an honor to serve them in these different ways," she says.
...but communications and politics run in the family
Paul Hicks, her father, once worked as chief of staff for Republican U.S. representative Stewart McKinney. However, he turned to the private sector to become a regional CEO for Ogilvy public relations, a leading communications executive for the National Football League and most recently a sports communications manager with the NFL as a client, the Hartford Courant reports.
Hicks' late grandfather was also a top public relations figure for Texaco.
Trump has special nicknames for her
While Trump calls her "Hopester," she continues to call him "Mr. Trump," reports Politico. She also reportedly has a thank you note from Trump above her Trump Tower desk. It reads: "Hopie — You're the greatest!"
She used to model
With the likes of past models Melania and Ivanka Trump in the White House, it's notable that Hicks was also once a model.
At 11, she and her sister were hired for a Ralph Lauren campaign, the Hartford Courant reports. As a teen, Hicks also modeled for Ford, according to The New York Times.
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