Former White House adviser Omarosa Manigault Newman said in an interview that aired on Tuesday that President Trump hired former communications director Hope Hicks for her looks.
“Donald Trump hired her because she’s pretty,” Manigault Newman told Hill.TV’s Jamal Simmons on Monday.
“She didn’t know what some of the most basic acronyms in politics meant. I said to her once, ‘you know, we should look at GOTV operations, and come up with some talkers from it,’ and she looked at me because she didn’t know what ‘get out the vote’ meant,” she added.
Manigault Newman also said that Hicks declines to give interviews because she is not politically knowledgeable.
“She doesn’t give interviews because she’s private. She doesn’t give interviews because she doesn’t know what’s going on. She understands Trump, and she can schedule an interview … or write some notes, but that’s the extent of her political career,” she said.
Manigault Newman is in the midst of promoting her new book, “Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House.”
She writes in the book that Hicks was “painfully aware of her inadequacies and was afraid to speak publicly.”
“She never did on camera. Hope was terrified to give statements or even entertain the idea of it. She lacked confidence because she knew she wasn’t qualified to talk about policy or the political process,” Manigault Newman said.
Hicks, who was one of Trump’s longest-standing aides, announced that she would be leaving the White House in February.
Members of the administration praised Hicks for her work on the Trump campaign and the administration after she announced her resignation.
“When I became chief of staff, I quickly realized what so many have learned about Hope — she is strategic, poised and wise beyond her years,” chief of staff John Kelly said in a statement.
“Hope Hicks is loved & admired by all who know her. It’s with a heavy heart, but tremendous gratitude, that I wish her well in her next steps,” Trump’s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump tweeted.
Politico reported earlier this month that members of the administration were pushing for Hicks to join President Trump’s reelection campaign.
“I think a lot of people would love to see her involved,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the outlet. “She is incredibly smart, talented, and she gets the president. It would be a win across the board for the president if she was involved in any capacity.”
— Julia Manchester
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