Hope Hicks: The woman who helps Trump be Trump

The 27-year-old press secretary travels alongside Trump in his private jet, assists the Republican presidential candidate with his prolific tweeting and acts as spokeswoman.

But Ms Hicks does her best to maintain a low profile at all times, with no social media presence of her own, never appearing on television and generally declining interview requests.

Ms Hicks, who first turned heads as “the glamorous mystery woman” beside Trump, has become a vital piece of the puzzle in Team Trump as he barrels towards the general election in November.

She officially boarded the Trump train in August 2014, brought on to handle PR for his daughter Ivanka Trump’s fashion collection as well as some Trump resorts.

The brunette beauty, who many say bears a striking resemblance to model Hilary Rhoda, has even done some modelling herself; for Ralph Lauren and for Ivanka’s label on the brand’s website.

Prior to that, she was employed at NYC-based public relations firm Hiltzik Strategies, whe-re she worked for the billionaire businessman’s organisation, according to the Washington Post.

While Ms Hicks had no previous political experience, the university graduate f-rom Greenwich, Connecticut jumped at the opportunity to be Trump’s media handler when she got the call up in January 2015.

“Mr. Trump looked at me and said, ‘I’m thinking about running for president, and you’re going to be my press secretary’,” Ms Hicks told New York magazine in a rare interview recently.

Six months later, Ms Hicks found herself working into the early hours of the morning alongside campaign manager Corey Lewandowski as the pair prepped for Trump’s campaign announcement in the lobby of Trump Tower.

Hope Hicks steps off Trump’s plane in Muscatine, Iowa.Source:AP

Until recently, Ms Hicks has been almost solely in c-harge of fielding Trump’s media requests, other than the questions the brash candidate decides to tackle himself.

She and Mr Lewandowski, 42, were among a core of six staffers in the campaign’s inner circle since the very beginning — back when it was a longshot that he was going to make it this far in what been a wildly unpredictable the presidential race.

But Team Trump is now close to bringing on an experienced communications official and additional staff, adding extra layers to the team as he seeks to evolve his once unconventional campaign into a more traditional organisation. Ms Hicks will remain on as travelling press secretary, Bloomberg reports.

The move to expand the team may or may not be the result of last month’s email blunder, whe-re the spokeswoman accidentally forwarded an email to Politicoreporter Mark Caputo instead of her co-worker, campaign adviser Michael Caputo.

The private email divulged Trump’s plans to attack Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton over the Whitewater real estate scandal f-rom the late 1970s.

The email f-rom Trump staffer Michael Caputo to a researcher at the Republican National Committee asked him to “work up information on HRC/Whitewater as soon as possible. This is for immediate use and for the afternoon talking points process”.

But Ms Hicks accidentally sent her reply to the wrong Caputo — a reporter atPolitico.

Whitewater refers to a scandal involving the Clintons’ real estate investment through a company they formed called the Whitewater Development Corporation. When Bill Clinton became president in the 1990s, the company was investigated by both Congress and the Justice Department but the Clintons were never prosecuted.

Last month, Ms Hicks and Mr Lewandowski — who was c-harged with battery earlier this year after he allegedly assaulted a female reporter — were seen having a public screaming match on the street in Manhattan, the New York Post reported.

Onlookers were stunned to see the pair hollering at each other in plain view of passers-by. “Hope was screaming at Corey, ‘I am done with you!’ It was ugly, she was doubled over with her fists clenched. He stood there looking shocked with his hands on his head,” one witness told the publication.

Many speculated that the al-tercation could be a sign of internal tension in the Trump campaign. And yet, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is showing no signs of slowing down as he sets his sights on rival Clinton.

Unsurprisingly, Ms Hicks opted not to respond to multiple requests for comment regarding both her errant email and the public showdown between herself and her colleague.

One thing’s for sure, if Trump does find himself sitting pretty in the Oval Office in 2017, the fiercely loyal Mr Hicks will most likely be right there beside him.

*news.com.au contacted Ms Hicks for an interview but is yet to receive a response.

Hope Hicks and Daniel Scavino Jr., Trump’s Director of Social Media, in Washington, D.C.Source:AP