The Fox/White House revolving door turns again as Hope Hicks, the former White House communications director turned PR head for Fox News’ parent company returns to the White House.
The last time we blinked, Hope Hicks left her job as White House communications director in order to head public relations for Fox News’ parent company. Now, after less than two years, she’s returning to the White House as an aide to Jared Kushner and to help with the Trump re-election campaign.
Hicks was replaced at the White House by former Fox News co-president Bill Shine, who was granted an ethics waiver so he could stay in touch with his Fox friends. Shine abruptly resigned in March, 2019, supposedly to work on the re-election campaign. The New York Times reported that the move was likely a way to save face. He also reportedly received millions from Fox while at the White House.
From today’s New York Times:
[O]n her return, [Hicks] will report to Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, and work with the White House political director, Brian Jack. Her title will be “counselor to the president.”
A senior administration official said that Ms. Hicks would work on projects that Mr. Kushner oversees, including the re-election campaign. She will not rejoin the communications office.
Others in the Fox/White House revolving door include Ben Carson, Anthony Scaramucci, Sebastian Gorka, Heather Nauert, Nauert’s replacement, Morgan Ortagus, and, of course, the now-infamous John Bolton, who either quit or was fired in September. That’s not counting the slew of informal Trump advisers working as Fox hosts: Pete Hegseth, Lou Dobbs, Tucker Carlson and Trump's unofficial chief of staff, Sean Hannity. Believe it or not, there’s plenty more. Media Matters has a comprehensive list.
In March, 2018, when Hicks’ resignation from the White House was first made public, Sean Hannity offered her a job at Fox News while he was on the air. What he didn’t say, but what is clearer now than ever, is that there’s almost no daylight between the two.
You can watch Hannity offer Hicks a job, below, from the February 28, 2018 Hannity show.
