‘Advancer’: 29yo Perth man at the centre of Trump’s success
A 29-year-old Perth man has been revealed as one of Donald Trump’s “advancers” and key member of the President-elect’s inner circle.
World
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After Donald Trump was shot at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, 29-year-old Aussie Phillip Hancock jumped on stage to retrieve his shoe.
Mr Hancock, from Perth, has been revealed to be a key member of Mr Trump’s inner circle, working behind the scenes during the incoming President’s successful election campaign, The Australian reports.
According to the publication, Mr Hanckock is one Mr Trump’s five “advancers” who oversee his 280 staff members, who are tasked with dealing with his public appearances.
On Saturday, the 29-year-old was a guest at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida where he attended at a function hosted by Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt. Other guests included the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook and TV personality Dr Oz.
A long way from his Perth roots, Mr Hancock moved to LA to work in the film industry after graduating from the University of Western Australia in 2015.
He later met members of Mr Trump’s team when he co-produced the 2020 film The Plot against The President, which tells the story of how Congressman Devin Nunes uncovered the operation to bring down Mr Trump.
Four years later, the 29-year-old - who recently became an American citizen - was not far when Mr Trump was shot at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in July.
An important part of Mr Trump’s team, Mr Hancok also helped with the President-elect’s famous McDonald’s publicity stunt in October, which saw Mr Trump don an apron and serve fries at a drive-through window in Pennsylvania, weeks out from the election.
According to The Australian, Mr Hancok spent a week working to set up the visit beforehand.
The McDonald’s restaurant was closed to the public during the stunt and the customers Mr Trump served were pre-screened by US Secret Service and pre-positioned, according to The Washington Post, which also reported attendees did not place an order and instead just accepted whatever Mr Trump gave them.
Now weeks away from his return to the White House, Mr Hancock is expected to play a large role in Mr Trump’s inauguration on January 20, and continue his integral role as an “advancer” under his administration.
Trump names Truth Social CEO to head intelligence advisory board
Mr Trump’s gathering at Mar-a-Lago came the same day he named loyalist Devin Nunes, the head of his social media platform Truth Social, to serve as chairman of a White House intelligence advisory board.
Mr Nunes is a Republican ex-congressman from California who led the US House intelligence committee during the start of Trump’s first presidential term.
He has accused the Federal Bureau of Investigation of abusing its powers to spy on a Trump election campaign official who had extensive Russian contacts.
Mr Trump said in his post that Mr Nunes will remain the chief executive of Truth Social while leading the advisory panel.
In 2018 while chair of the intelligence committee, Mr Nunes released a controversial memo saying the FBI conspired against Mr Trump when it was probing Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
“Devin will draw on his experience as former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and his key role in exposing the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, to provide me with independent assessments of the effectiveness and propriety of the U.S. Intelligence Community’s activities,” Trump said in a statement.
The President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB), created in the mid-20th century, exists to provide an independent source of advice on the effectiveness of the intelligence community’s data and its data acquisition.
Mr Trump described the board as consisting of “distinguished citizens from outside of the Federal Government.”
Two weeks ago, Mr Trump nominated loyalist Kash Patel as FBI director, replacing current director Christopher Wray.
Patel, who Nunes said assisted with the 2018 memo, is a former adviser and Pentagon official known for his passionate views on the government
Originally published as ‘Advancer’: 29yo Perth man at the centre of Trump’s success
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