Hope Hicks had been lobbying President Donald Trump to bring her back to the White House after regretting her decision to go to Fox, according to the Daily Mail [1].
News broke on Thursday that Hicks was returning to Washington D.C. to take a senior adviser position reporting to Jared Kushner. Her official title will be counselor to the president, a title Kellyanne Conway also holds.
But the insider explained that working for Kushner is temporary and the plan is to ease Hicks back into the administration so she can return to her old job as White House Communications Director, now held by Stephanie Grisham.
The 31-year-old resigned in early 2018 in the wake of revealing allegations of domestic violence against her staff secretary boyfriend Rob Porter, who ultimately was fired from his job.
It remains to be seen if Porter, who sources say is still very much in the picture, will also be welcomed back into the White House fold. Yes, he’s a suspected wife-beater, but hey, Trump is emboldened and doesn’t care about how anything looks anymore.
After her departure from the White House, Hicks moved to Los Angeles to head up the communications department at Fox Corporation, the parent company to Trump’s preferred network, Fox News.
But even with her fat $1 million salary, insiders say she wasn’t happy there and believes taking the position was a “mistake”.
The source said: “Hope has been lobbying to come back to the White House for weeks.
“Trump’s team had originally asked if she wanted to join his re-election campaign, but Hope was determined to get back to the White House.”
Hope was also frustrated that she didn’t have enough sway at Fox to impact its news coverage about the president, which has taken a less flattering turn in recent months.
The source said: “The President has been p***ed at Fox News and called Hope to fix it but she’s really been powerless to do anything.”
In a statement today, Fox praised Hicks upon her departure, as a spokesperson said: “She was a key executive team member at the inception of Fox Corporation and throughout this important first year. We are proud of the work Hope has done and wish her well in her future endeavors.”
Now Hicks wants her old job back and “her goal is to get rid of Grisham and reprise her role communications director.”
The source explained that Hicks is very close friends with Hogan Gidley, the deputy press secretary, and the two have a “deal”, in which she has his support and she’ll make him press secretary if she wins her old job back.
Hicks and Grisham were friends at one point, with Grisham responding to news of Hicks joining Fox in 2018, tweeting out: “FOX won’t find anyone smarter or more talented than Hope Hicks. So happy for my friend. They are beyond lucky to have you and the East Coast misses you already.”
FOX won’t find anyone smarter or more talented than Hope Hicks. So happy for my friend. They are beyond lucky to have you and the East Coast misses you already. https://t.co/mUQUlip5oc [2]
— Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) October 8, 2018 [3]
Grisham said to the New York Times [4] on Thursday that Hicks is “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.”