Mercedes Schlapp has been discussed as a possible replacement for Hope Hicks as the White House communications director.
Schlapp, the current White House director of strategic communications, has been floated for the position after Hick's announcement Wednesday that she will resign, the Wall Street Journal reported. She rose to senior adviser for strategic communications in September after Hicks was elevated to communications director, The Hill newspaper reported.
Here are eight things to know about Schlapp:
1. Schlapp is the wife of Matt Schlapp, the president of the American Conservative Union and a longtime GOP strategist, according to The Hill.
2. She was one of the first high-profile hires by John Kelly in September when he became President Donald Trump's chief of staff, according to Politico.
3. She was once seriously considered to replace Reince Priebus as head of the Republican National Committee after Trump's election win, according to the Washington Examiner.
4. Schlapp, 45, is the daughter of Cuban immigrants and is a native of Miami, according to the New York Post and The Hill.
5. She is a former columnist for the conservative Washington Times and a former Fox News contributor, noted The Hill. Schlapp also has served as a conservative political commentator for both English and Spanish media.
6. Schlapp previously worked for the campaign and administration of former President George W. Bush, The Hill noted. She also worked as a consultant for her own public affairs firm Cove Strategies, Politico said.
7. Schlapp and her husband decided to stick with then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in late 2016 after the "Access Hollywood" audio broke, saying after a weekend of thinking about it they "doubled down" on him, per The Washington Post.
8. The Schlapps have five daughters, whom she called her "center of fun" and a "great blessing."
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