On Friday, the glamorous public relations executive who formerly worked as an aide to former President Donald Trump, took the stand at Trump’s “hush money” trial in New York.
Hicks claimed that during the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump instructed her to deny his alleged s*xual relationship with Stormy Daniels. Hicks relayed this in her testimony, noting Trump’s concern over the potential reaction from his wife, Melania.
“He wanted to make sure that there was a denial of any kind of relationship,” Hicks said, explaining that he was concerned about how the situation would affect his wife, as reported by Reuters.
“He was concerned about how it would be viewed by his wife, and he wanted me to make sure the newspapers weren’t delivered to the residence that morning,” she added, per Reuters.
The context of Hicks’ testimony was Trump’s denial of any s*xual encounters with Daniels or former Playboy model Karen McDougal, despite allegations surfacing in the media.
The testimony is part of a broader case where Trump faces charges of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment made to Daniels, intended to prevent her from publicizing her claims of their 2006 encounter. This payment, prosecutors argue, was a corrupt act that skewed the electoral process by suppressing damaging news.
During the trial, Hicks also discussed the atmosphere within the campaign following the public leak of an “Access Hollywood” recording where Trump made vulgar comments about women. According to Hicks, Trump was perturbed by the release but dismissed the content as locker room talk—a phrase which carried over to his official response.
“Mr. Trump felt like this wasn’t good, but it was also just like two guys talking, locker-room talk,” she testified, also per Reuters.
Hope Hicks has played a significant role in Donald Trump’s political career, starting as a public relations professional before joining Trump’s presidential campaign. Initially working for the Trump Organization as part of a public relations team, Hicks was brought into the campaign early on, quickly becoming one of Trump’s closest and most loyal aides. She was appointed as the press secretary for the 2016 campaign and was known for her role in crafting the public image of the campaign and managing press relations, often noted for her behind-the-scenes influence and her close working relationship with Trump. Her ability to manage the media and maintain a low public profile herself made her a key figure within the campaign structure.
After Trump’s election victory, Hicks was named Director of Strategic Communications at the White House, a role that placed her in charge of overseeing the administration’s communication strategy across various media platforms. In August 2017, she was appointed as the White House Communications Director, a role she held until her resignation in February 2018, making her one of the longest-serving members of Trump’s inner circle to that point. Her tenure in the White House was marked by her continued close association with Trump and her involvement in several high-profile incidents, including the crafting of the Trump administration’s response to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Despite her resignation from the White House, Hicks returned to the political sphere in 2020, serving as a counselor to the president during the latter part of Trump’s administration.
This trial is one of several legal challenges Trump faces, alongside allegations of election interference and mishandling classified documents.
