Hope Hicks, the fourth White House communications director in 14 months, has officially left the building — but not before enduring a creepy and staged goodbye from her boss.
Hicks announced last month that she would be resigning (amid ex-boyfriend and fellow Trump aide Rob Porter’s domestic abuse scandal), and Wednesday was officially her last day. President Trump bid his former aide goodbye on Thursday in a stilted photo op that seemed all-too-eager to assure the public that “Everything is fine!!!”
Trump’s goodbye was so awkward that it’s difficult to pinpoint the most bizarre facet of the interaction, but it’s definitely a tie between his inexplicable and repeated pointing at Hicks, and his thwarted attempt to give her a second kiss on the cheek.
See the moment Hope Hicks said goodbye to President Trump at the White House https://t.co/Nuo7vhgWpw pic.twitter.com/iP3GM6DJU3
— TIME (@TIME) March 29, 2018
(You can see Trump briefly lean back in for a kiss as Hope turns to leave. Trump played off the entire thing by immediately pivoting around and nearly walking into a column.)
Obviously, the farewell was so completely wooden and uncomfortable that the internet had no choice but to mock it mercilessly.
Lol at Alpha President leaning in for a final peck on the cheek from Hope Hicks and getting rejected pic.twitter.com/Ts532Ns0sF
— Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) March 30, 2018
/Record Scratch “Yup, that’s me. Heather Locklear was I would say very strongly interested, actually, and many noticed it. I took her to Levitz and bought her an ottoman. She was married at the time.” pic.twitter.com/IHB8hriEKg
— David Roth (@david_j_roth) March 30, 2018
I love to point goodbye to my friends and family https://t.co/QjtnDGRcBb
— Gabriella Paiella (@GMPaiella) March 29, 2018
Sorry snowflakes, this big and normal man is YOUR PRESIDENT and his Canadian model girlfriend is real. pic.twitter.com/YpV0Hvt5Bi
— David Roth (@david_j_roth) March 30, 2018
“Thanks for touching my weird body, Other Melania.” https://t.co/IeemBOc69T
— Jess Dweck (@TheDweck) March 30, 2018
More like Nope, Dicks. pic.twitter.com/LrlCqxYqOG
— OhNoSheTwitnt (@OhNoSheTwitnt) March 30, 2018
While Hope Hicks has left the White House in an official capacity, it is unlikely that she will remain completely separate from the goings-on there, and she is expected to return to the White House next month to “tie up loose ends.”
Hope Hicks is expected to return to the White House to tie up loose ends next month so it’s hardly bye forever for Trump. Also he has her phone number lol
— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24) March 29, 2018
Well … congratulations, Hope. You will most likely still be the recipient of a barrage of inappropriate drunk Trump texts, but at least you won’t have to touch him on a semi-regular basis.