Hope Hicks May Return to the White House - As Chief of Staff: Report
Former White House communications director Hope Hicks may soon be returning to the administration as chief of staff John Kelly's replacement, according to a new report from Vanity Fair's Jake Sherman.
Sherman calls Hicks a "dark horse" candidate for the job. A more likely candidate for the position is Bill Shine, the former co-president of Fox News who recently joined the White House to help manage communications — though he appears hesitant to accept the high-profile job.
Shine has more depth of experience than Hicks, but he comes with significantly more baggage. As Sherman reports, he is implicated in the coverup of former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes' years of sexual misconduct. As one source colorfully told Sherman of Shine, "This guy is up to eyeballs in shit.”
But neither Shine nor Hicks has much experience in politics. (Mick Mulvaney, current head of the Office of Management and Budget, is also reportedly under considerations for the job and has substantial political experience.)
Trump himself even once noted at a rally that Hicks was a political neophyte when he hired her.
"She knew nothing," he said. "And she was there the first day, and she was fantastic."
The president, though, was himself completely inexperienced in politics when he launched his bid for the presidency, so he may not see her lack of qualifications as a negative.
Hicks did not respond to Sherman's request for comment. He says that a source has confirmed that she is interested in the job if it is offered to her.
