In January 2015, Donald Trump earmarked Hicks, who was 26 years old at the time, for the role of press secretary for his potential presidential campaign.Donald Trump summoned her to his office and, as she tells it, "Mr. Trump looked at me and said, 'I'm thinking about running for president, and you're going to be my press secretary.'"Until that time, she had never worked in politics, nor volunteered on a campaign. After Trump's first primary victories, Hicks was asked to choose between staying with the Trump Organization or working on the campaign full-time. She initially decided to leave the campaign, but Trump convinced her to remain and she stayed on as press secretary.