There are reportedly 40 staffers at the White House who make up the administration's media relations group that Sean Spicer and Anthony Scaramucci managed before they resigned or were fired. President Trump reportedly asked a longtime aide, Hope Hicks, to take the position but she hesitated. According to a recent report by Politico titled: "Trump's shrinking West Wing," Hope Hicks had insisted that her new job title as Communications Director would include "interim." But the article mentioned that since she took the job on August 16, the White House has not been looking for anyone to take her place.

It also referred to a tweet by Ivanka Trump where she congratulated Hicks on her new job but did not use "interim" in the title.

Over the last several months, the communications team lost Michael Short and Andrew Hemming as the lower level staffers. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders - who stepped into Sean Spicer's role when he left - said that they were interested in adding more people to their comms team. But the article also pointed out that with five investigations looming over the White House, there wasn't a line of people rushing to take a position with the administration.

Also, Gen. John Kelly as the President's new Chief Of Staff doesn't seem to be immediately interested in filling positions either. Like many, Hicks has been thrown into the mix, during what aides say is when the President's mindset is at the worst it's ever been.

The humble Hope Hicks

Kelly has added a far more professional tone to the White House since the middle of August.

Kelly's new goal was to get rid of the toxic elements of the West Wing which were all Breitbart alumni such as Steve Bannon, Sebastian Gorka and their loyalists like Ezra Cohen-Watnick, Rich Higgins, and some others. Hope Hicks has been praised by the media as adding a level of professionalism to the administration. Her reluctance to take the position, however, seems to be part of her humble nature.

One article by WUWM titled: "Hope Hicks Is A Trump Team 'Survivor' And Now Interim Communications Director" referred to her Lacrosse coach from Southern Methodist University who said that they really had to push her to get noticed as she didn't take to being in the spotlight.

When Hicks slipped up

At the time that she took on the new communication's director role, the White House said that they would name a more permanent director when the time was right. But the WUWM article also mentioned that if the past is a guide, Hicks will likely be permanent. The article also points to when Hicks had to manage Trump's interview with the New York Times in July which fired up speculation that his attorney general Jeff Sessions should resign.

It was that interview that caused many aides to feel that they had been blindsided after the President suggested that he wouldn't have selected Sessions if he knew he was going to recuse himself. Dana Perino, who was a press secretary during the Bush Administration said in the WUWM article that Hicks could have taken some time to give the then-chief of staff Reince Priebus and other aides a "heads up" to alert them of the interview ahead of them. With John Kelly now in the position, nothing unsolicited gets to the President without going through the chief of staff first and this is slowing the flow recruitment of White House staff.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED