President Trump bid Hope Hicks adieu yesterday outside of the White House with some firm handshakes, quick shoulder touches and barely-there cheek kisses. (It’s safe to say they probably had a more emotional goodbye off camera.)
Watch their farewell below:
See the moment Hope Hicks said goodbye to President Trump at the White House https://t.co/Nuo7vhgWpw pic.twitter.com/iP3GM6DJU3
— TIME (@TIME) March 29, 2018
There’s a lot we know about the 29-year-old former communications director — her time working PR with Ivanka and Trump’s campaign, her complicated relationships with former White House staff secretary Rob Porter and former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, her presumed closeness to the Trump family (many have said she’s like a daughter to the president).
Hicks was pretty private during her White House years — her social media accounts have been shielded from public eye (she doesn’t even have a Twitter as of now).
Here’s everything you didn’t know about Donald Trump’s coveted confidant Hope Hicks.
Hope Hicks was a model in her teens
Growing up, Hicks and her sister modeled, and she was signed to Ford.
The New York Times reported that Hicks was featured in Greenwich Magazine in 2002 and in a campaign for Naturalizer shoes.
New info from @WFSBnews on Greenwich native Hope Hicks leaving the White House https://t.co/Hyab6Ca21U pic.twitter.com/SXckik3orl
— Dennis House (@DennisHouseTV) February 28, 2018
The Daily Mail reported that she modeled for other clothing brands such as Ralph Lauren, Sears, Target and Limited Too.
Hope Hicks also did some acting
Hicks was a co-star on a Nickelodeon children’s special about golf, reported the New York Times (though finding out which show that was has deemed rather difficult — we’ve yet to receive a reply from Nickelodeon).
She even read lines for a film with Alec Baldwin once.
Hope Hicks was a lacrosse star in high school
Hicks grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, and led her Greenwich High School team to the state championships in 2005. She was co-captain and continued to play competitively in college.
From the Mag: @realDonaldTrump campaign secretary Hope Hicks and her father share love for lacrosse https://t.co/uIXMK3BouJ pic.twitter.com/c5wsMnFOVF
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) November 4, 2016
Hope Hicks attended college in Texas
Hicks graduated from Southern Methodist University, a private Dallas school, in 2010. She continued her lacrosse career there and majored in English.
“Her four years of leadership, as captain, provided the groundwork for our program,” Liz Holmes, Hicks’ former lacrosse coach at Southern Methodist University, said in a statement to the Washington Post. “She is highly intelligent and brought that to the field in every game. … She was the ultimate team player and competitor.”
Trump’s nickname for her was ‘Hopester’
According to Politico, Trump referred to his former communications director as “Hopester.”
She reportedly kept thank you notes from the president in her office. One read, “Hopie — You’re the greatest!” (So add “Hopie” to the list too.)
At 13, Hicks said she might see herself in politics
Hicks’ parents, Caye Cavender and Paul B. Hicks III, actually met while working on Capitol Hill. According to their 1982 New York Times wedding announcement, at the time, her mom worked as a legislative aide for Tennessee Democrat Ed Jones, and her dad served as the chief of staff for Connecticut Republican Stewart B. McKinney.
A 13-year-old Hicks told Greenwich Magazine that if acting or modeling didn’t work out for her, “I could really see myself in politics. Who knows?”
Hope Hicks was on YA book covers
Hicks’ modeling years resulted in a feature on the cover of a young-adult novel entitled, “The It Girl,” by Cecily von Ziegesar, the same author who penned the “Gossip Girl” books.
I’m not sure if this is a known thing but I just found out that HOPE HICKS was the cover model for THE IT GIRL SERIES by Cecily von Ziegesar and I AM CRYYYYYYING ? pic.twitter.com/HbPmTB5WvA
— Bridget (@bar_runge) March 2, 2018
Hicks also appeared on the cover of the “Hourglass Adventures” series.
Hope Hicks was the face of the Hourglass Adventures novels about a time-traveling 10-year-old. pic.twitter.com/VYGb7zY2ZK
— American Timelines Podcast (@Historyforjerks) February 28, 2018
Speaking of books, she was already offered millions for hers
At the beginning of March, the Daily Mail reported that, upon her resignation announcement, a publisher had offered Hicks up to $10 million for the rights to her memoir.
“Next to Ivanka and Melania, Hope is the woman closest to the president,” a publishing executive told the site. “[She] knows all the secrets, all the foibles, all the quirks.”
“To get that kind of money, you would have to be willing to say a lot of things about the president that haven’t been said, and that were negative,” a family friend told Town & Country. “She’s never going to write that book.”
Hicks was reportedly contacted by a “big-shot” in Hollywood as well, who asked about the possibility of a mini-series.
“She’s also the most glamorous White House female since Jackie Kennedy,” the publishing executive told Daily Mail. “Her story will be a blockbuster.”
