Hope Hicks appointed interim White House communications director

WASHINGTON—Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s longest serving aides, will fill in as temporary White House communications director, the administration announced Wednesday. An unnamed White House official told pool reporters the 28-year-old Hicks will work alongside White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders until the administration appoints a permanent communications chief. Hicks, a former model, has been friendly with the Trump family since 2014, when Ivanka Trump hired Hicks to work for her fashion line. When the Trump campaign launched in 2015, Hicks joined the communications team. She has worked for the president ever since—most recently as the White House director of strategic communications. The communications director position has been mostly vacant since Trump took office in January. Trump’s first pick for the job, Jason Miller, decided to decline an offer for the role in December. Sean Spicer stepped in to work as both the press secretary and the communications director until Trump hired Michael Dubke in February. Dubke left in early June. Trump hired Anthony Scaramucci in July and fired him 10 days later. “Hope is a terrific person and will do a great job. Wishing her the best,” Scaramucci tweeted Wednesday.