Summary:
On Wednesday, Hope Hicks, President Trump's communications director, said that she is going to resign. Hicks is one of Trump's closest employees, and following her resignation, a couple of people in the White House were quick to compliment her, saying that she is "strategic, poised, and wise beyond her years." She is liked by the president, and she knows how to deal with his temper. However, despite the positive way the people in the White House view her, she has recently admitted to telling "white lies." As communications director, she is ostensibly someone who communicates with the American public. If she is telling "white lies," the trust that American people have with respect to the White House is fundamentally eroded. Part of the reason why she may have told "white lies," is due to her inexperience in how government officials should conduct themselves. This pattern of inexperience, where many of the officials do not adhere to the normal behaviors of typical government employees, is seen especially in the Trump administration. It is probably appropriate that she is resigning in order to give the appearance that the administration is taking care to repair the image of the White House.
Discussion Questions:
1. What really counts as a white lie?
2. If the president's communications director is telling these "white lies," how can we trust anything else the government is saying?
3. How much does a White House employee's experience really matter in how effective they are?
4. How might this affect the Trump administration?
Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-communication-director-hope-hicks-to-resign-1519854372
1 comment:
The Times also has an article about this (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/us/politics/hope-hicks-resign-communications-director.html) as do many other sites, and they present similar ideas. Hicks was a model who met Ivanka through her brand, and this certainly does demonstrate the inexperience that she possessed working as the communications director. I agree with you in guessing that perhaps this inexperience is what led to the "white lies" she told, and again I agree that white lies are still lies, especially when they're being delivered to the American public from the White House. The article I cited also talks about your fourth question, stating that people like Hicks have frequently been leaving Trump's administration and this ultimately takes away a buffer from the actions of Trump. The quote specifically states that " aides who served as crucial buffers and sounding boards as a turbulent and politically uncertain year begins" will no longer be there. This assumes that as a result of such resignations, the administration may struggle even more, though there is also a conflicting opinion that could argue (As you mentioned in your post) that this is just a way to clean up the administration and get rid of those who are unqualified and inexperienced.
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