Julia Aviva Hahn (born April 1, 1991) is an American writer. Between 2017 and 2021, she was deputy communications director in the Trump White House.

Early life

Hahn was born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family, and grew up in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

. She attended

Harvard-Westlake School Harvard-Westlake School is an independent, co-educational university preparatory day school consisting of two campuses located in Los Angeles, California, with approximately 1,600 students enrolled in grades seven through twelve. Its two predec ...

in Los Angeles. Her grandfather is Harold Honickman, the head of a successful soft-drink bottling company, who in 2002 was estimated to be worth $850 million. Hahn attended the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

, studying philosophy. While a student, she also studied in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. Hahn's senior thesis at the University of Chicago was on "issues at the intersection of

psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might b ...

and post-

Foucauldian Paul-Michel Foucault (, ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French philosopher, historian of ideas, writer, political activist, and literary critic. Foucault's theories primarily address the relationship between power and knowledge, and how ...

philosophical inquiry".

Career

Hahn started her career as producer for ''

The Laura Ingraham Show ''The Laura Ingraham Show'' was a three-hour American radio show hosted by conservative Laura Ingraham. It was among the most popular radio shows broadcast in the United States. In 2016, the show ranked number 20 on the ''Talkers Magazine 201 ...

'', eventually becoming executive producer of the show. Hahn then became press secretary for Virginia Congressman

Dave Brat David Alan Brat (born July 27, 1964) is an American academic and politician who is the dean of the Liberty University School of Business. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 7th congressional di ...

. In 2015, Hahn began working at ''

Breitbart News ''Breitbart News Network'' (known commonly as ''Breitbart News'', ''Breitbart'', or ''Breitbart.com'') is an Radical right (United States), American far-rightMultiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * syndicated news, opinion, and commentary ...

'' as a writer. She followed

Steve Bannon Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist in the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump during t ...

to the White House, becoming his deputy policy strategist. She remained in the White House after Bannon's departure and worked in a communications position. She wrote headlines such as "Republican-Led Congress Oversees Large-Scale Importation of Somali Migrants." According to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', on entering the White House at age 25, Hahn's financial disclosure forms indicate she had some $1.5 million in stocks including investments in PepsiCo and the State of Israel, as well as a Custodial Bank Account for minors containing between $500,000–$1 million. In August 2020, ''The New York Times'' reported that Hahn compiled White House Press Secretary

Kayleigh McEnany Kayleigh McEnany (; born April 18, 1988) is an American conservative political commentator and author who served the administration of Donald Trump as the 33rd White House press secretary from April 2020 to January 2021. Early in the 2016 Re ...

's briefing binder for her White House press briefings. In January 2021, Hahn was hired on U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty's staff.

Controversy

In October 2020, the

Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white s ...

published a report to its Hatewatch blog based on leaked emails by Hahn’s former colleague at ''Breitbart News'', Katie McHugh. The article alleged that Hahn had connections to prominent white nationalists during her time as a ''Breitbart'' reporter and producer for

Laura Ingraham Laura Anne Ingraham (born June 19, 1963) is an American conservative television host. Gale Biography In Context. She has been the host of '' The Ingraham Angle'' on Fox News Channel since October 2017, and is the editor-in-chief of LifeZette ...

. In response to the story, the White House issued a statement on Hahn’s behalf, saying that she "condemns racism and hatred in all forms" and describing the emails as "cherry-picked."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hahn, Julia 1991 births Living people People from Beverly Hills, California 21st-century American journalists American women journalists Jewish American journalists University of Chicago alumni Breitbart News people Trump administration personnel Harvard-Westlake School alumni 21st-century American women