White House Director of Strategic Communications explained

Post:White House Director of
Strategic Communications
Insignia:US-WhiteHouse-Logo.svg
Insigniasize:175px
Incumbent:Vacant
Incumbentsince:December 4, 2020
Department:Executive Office of the President
Reports To:White House Chief of Staff
Appointer:The President
First:Hope Hicks
Formation:January 20, 2017

The White House Director of Strategic Communications was a senior member of the President's staff, reporting directly to the President and working in conjunction with the White House Communications Director.

President Donald Trump formed the position in late 2016, naming one of his closest advisors and earliest political aides, Hope Hicks, as the nation's first holder of this office.[1]

The exact responsibilities have never been made clear to the public, but are assumed to include coordinating media appearances, advising the President on messaging, and serving as a confidant on key matters involving personnel and in executing the President's agenda, an extension of the role Hicks served in the Trump campaign and transition.[2] [3]

The position has been left vacant since the end of the Trump administration, with Trump's successor Joe Biden not appointing anyone to the position.

Directors

ImageOfficeholderTerm startTerm endTerm durationPresident
Hope HicksJanuary 20, 2017September 12, 2017Donald Trump
Mercedes SchlappSeptember 12, 2017July 1, 2019
Alyssa FarahApril 7, 2020December 4, 2020

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dixon. Ken. Greenwich woman picked for Trump communications staff. 13 January 2017.
  2. Web site: Jacobs. Jennifer. Trump’s Original Four: The Staffers Behind His Historic Victory.
  3. Web site: Nuzzi. Olivia. The Mystifying Triumph of Hope Hicks, Donald Trump’s Right-Hand Woman. GQ. 14 January 2017.