Mercedes Schlapp joins White House as senior communications adviser

Conservative commentator Mercedes Schlapp is joining the White House as President Trump’s senior adviser for strategic communications. 

The Hill reported last week that Schlapp, a prominent GOP consultant, was expected to join Trump’s White House, but it was unclear what role she would take. 

The White House announced her appointment on Tuesday. Hope Hicks, a longtime Trump aide who had been serving as interim White House communications director, was also appointed to permanently fill that post.

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Schlapp is the wife of Matt Schlapp, another GOP consultant and the chairman of the American Conservative Union, the organization behind the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.

Also among those appointed to new White House roles on Tuesday were Raj Shah, a former deputy communications director who was named principal deputy press secretary, and Steven Cheung, a former assistant communications director who was named Trump’s director of strategic response.