Hope Hicks was behind Trump's church photo op where peaceful protesters were forcibly removed in DC: Report
As the protests over the death of George Floyd continued to rage in the US and found solidarity across the world, Hope Hicks, a longtime aide to President Donald Trump, has found herself under the scanner. The 31-year-old counselor to the president is considered to be the one who contributed to the June 1 plan of having Trump walk from the White House to pose in front of St John’s Church, an act which sparked criticism and controversy, according to The New York Times. Police and National Guard forces were used to disperse the peaceful protesters from the site to stage the event. Even forces from a county in the neighboring state of Virginia were used to facilitate the event where Trump posed with a Bible amid chaos in the background and gave a speech about America's "greatness".
The event was perceived as Trump's assertion of his role as the 'law and order president' as it happened soon after he vowed to use military force to restore order in America’s cities that are witnessing the violence to protest the brutal death of Floyd, an African-American, at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. Religious and political leaders lashed out at Trump to suggest that his photo-op did not help things that are already witnessing the worst.
Hicks, a former model who is serving in her current role since March, was among those who accompanied Trump as he walked across Lafayette Park to reach the church. She was one of Trump’s most trusted aides who expressed concern over Trump’s controversial “when looting starts, shooting starts” tweet in the wake of the violence that erupted in Minneapolis. Many saw it as an indirect incitement.
Hicks 'scolded' Trump for his tweet
The president’s ‘church adventure’ came soon after Hicks and some of his close allies "scolded" him. The idea was, however, debated by the top officials. While some felt a speech by Trump would not have made any difference, others were desperate to see the leader coming out. According to one report in Axios, a number of people reached out to Trump directly or his top aides to say that the president needed to be seen after they saw conservatives asking the question on social media: “Where is Trump?”
Trump went to Florida on Saturday, May 30, to see the launch of a rocket and addressed the death of Floyd. But he was not seen since a new wave of protests erupted the same night. His walk outside the White House, a first as president, came after he remained confined indoors for more than a day. On Friday (May 29) night, Trump and his family were even rushed to the White House bunker briefly as the protesters approached the vicinity and clashed with forces but the president was upset that the news of his movement to the bunker got leaked, The Washington Post reported. The retreat clashed with the daring image the president usually likes to put forward. The turn of events pushed him and a section of his aides towards going out and reasserting his bold image.
On May 25, Floyd was arrested by the cops for allegedly paying a shopkeeper a counterfeit $20 note. He was handcuffed and pinned to the ground with one cop, Derek Chauvin, pressing his knee against his neck. Floyd kept on pleading for help and said he was unable to breathe but his request fell on deaf ears. Floyd subsequently passed out and died and as a video of the disturbing incident went viral, protests started across the US and more black lives have been lost in the violence.