5 Things to Know About Hope Hicks, the New White House Communications Director

A new woman is officially in charge of the White House's messaging, and her name is Hope Hicks.

A White House spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that Hicks has been named the permanent White House communications director, CNN reported. The longtime Trump political aide had already been working as the interim communications director following Anthony Scaramucci's firing in July.

Here are a few key facts to know about Hope Hicks, the 28-year-old who will be bringing you all the White House updates.

Her relationship with the Trump family runs deep.

Hicks was among the first to join Trump's presidential campaign, but it wasn't her first time getting to know the soon-to-be president. Hicks worked for the Trump family—including on Ivanka's fashion line—for several years prior to Trump's bid for the White House.

As Vogue noted, Hicks is so trusted within the Trump family that, prior to her new job appointment, she was the President’s strategic communications director and “the sole gatekeeper overseeing his media interviews.”

Ivanka Trump once called Hicks a “brilliant, kind & wickedly funny friend” in a congratulatory tweet on making the Forbes "30 under 30" list.

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Since he took office, President Trump has reportedly come up with a few rather cozy nicknames for Hicks—including Hopie. According to The New York Times, Hicks even has a personal thank-you note from the President on her desk that reads: “Hopie—You’re the greatest!”

It appears the feeling is mutual. As Hicks once said of Trump, "He is brilliant with a great sense of humor, and an amazing ability to make people feel special and aspire to be more than even they thought possible."

Hicks didn’t always want to be a member of the Trump political team.

According to a 2016 New York Times profile—which called her “arguably the least credentialed press secretary in the modern history of presidential politics”—Hicks actually turned down the first offer to work for the Trump campaign. When asked by onetime campaign manager Corey Lewandowski if she’d prefer to stay on in the administration or go back to the Trump organization, Hicks chose the latter. Lewandowski, according to GQ, simply replied, “You made a big f-cking mistake; you're f-cking dead to me.”