President Trump, known for tweeting on just about any subject that interests him, was noticeably silent on Wednesday and Thursday about White House Communications Director Hope Hicks’ departure.
Since the New York Times broke the news Wednesday afternoon that Hicks would be leaving the White House, Trump has yet to address the matter publicly.
It’s not like Trump hasn’t been radio silent either. The President tweeted Thursday morning about his bipartisan meeting with lawmakers to address school safety and the strength of the U.S. steel and aluminum industries.
White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway spoke glowingly about Hicks on “Fox & Friends” Thursday morning — a program Trump is known to watch and react to regularly.
The president also ignored Hicks’ departure on his less prominent Facebook and Instagram pages.
The absence of a tweeted send-off remains unusual. Trump has often offered goodbyes to high-level staffers, including Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus and Omarosa.
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The silence doesn’t necessarily suggest any enmity between Trump and Hicks. He did offer kind words about her to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.
“Hope is outstanding and has done great work for the last three years,” the president told the paper. “She is as smart and thoughtful as they come, a truly great person. I will miss having her by my side, but when she approached me about pursuing other opportunities, I totally understood. I am sure we will work together again in the future.”
Ivanka Trump, however, tweeted out her well-wishes to the outgoing communications director. She first introduced Hicks to the president after she worked on the First Daughter’s brand.
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
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) February 28, 2018