As the Capitol was under attack, Trump aides like Hope Hicks worried that a coup could hurt their job prospects.
The 1/6 Committee released more text messages, and they show what some of Trump’s staff was most worried about:
“And all of us that didn’t have jobs lined up will be perpetually unemployed. I’m so mad and upset. We all look like domestic terrorists now.†– Hope Hicks
Their concern for the Constitution they swore to uphold is so touching https://t.co/hY7hTE5K8p
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— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) January 2, 2023
Confirmed. https://t.co/R1yIZL7CTz pic.twitter.com/CQAtwEpoWl
— Jason Kint (@jason_kint) January 2, 2023
Hope Hicks wasn’t concerned about the country or stopping a domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol. She was worried that Trump’s coup would render her unemployable in the future.
In political science, we often study how presidents build administrations that reflect their personalities and cultures. Presidents because of the singular power of the office within the US constitutional system create cultures, and the culture that Donald Trump created was selfish and put the duty to govern last.
One of the many failings of the Trump administration on 1/6 was the White House had a lot of people in it who, like their boss, didn’t care about governing. When Trump launched his coup, an administration that cared about the country and the constitution would have disregarded an out-of-control criminal president and taken action to protect and save lives.
Trump’s White House put selfishness and loyalty to the then-president ahead of the country. Hope Hicks’s texts show one of the main reasons why the White House failed to act. People died on 1/6 because staff like Hope Hicks worried more about their employment prospects than protecting the country.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
