President Donald Trump’s loyal aide Natalie Harp played a critical role in the shock meltdown that saw him dramatically ban media outlets from the White House.
Harp, 35, earned the nickname “human printer” for shadowing Trump, 80, and printing out positive articles about himself to read, as well as suggesting potential flattering social media posts he can share online.
A new report reveals Harp’s involvement just hours before the president banned MS NOW, CNN and Politico from the White House, “effective immediately,” in a Friday Truth Social tirade.
Harp had specifically played Trump clips of anchors on MS NOW “criticizing his administration” before his social media tantrum, sources familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.
Privately, the president has informed his aides he “doesn’t have enough” political allies defending him on television or praising his achievements in his second term, sources told the Journal.
Harp, who earns $150,000 a year as an executive assistant, is a constant presence at Trump’s side.
In intimate letters she sent him in 2023, she said is “unworthy” of him. “You are all that matters to me,” Harp told Trump in the private messages, adding, “I don’t want to ever let you down.”
While Trump has previously floated banning media who have annoyed him from the White House, his aides have persuaded him to adopt less aggressive measures, according to the Journal.
That has included blocking certain reporters from attending Oval Office events, or cutting back their involvement in situations deemed too small to accommodate the full press corps.
A Politico report claimed that even senior White House staffers were blindsided by Trump’s media ban and suggested the shock move happened while his influential chief of staff, Susie Wiles, was out of town.
Wiles, 69, was in Florida, where she announced on Wednesday that she is cancer-free, six months after she revealed a diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer.
In his Truth Social post, Trump did not cite a particular story that had led to his sudden ban, but claimed the outlets had reported “FICTION and LIES” and warned there were “Other Fake News Media Outlets” to follow.
In the Oval Office on Friday, Trump said “cumulative stories” prompted the move, according to Politico, which cited over a dozen current and former Trump officials who said they were “puzzled by the development,” and said others in his administration had made unsolicited contact to say the decision was a “head-scratcher.”
Reporters from MS NOW, CNN and Politico who attempted to enter the White House on Saturday had their physical press badges revoked upon arrival, and were then denied entry.
MS NOW’s White House reporter, Akayla Gardner, said a red beeping light flashed when she attempted to scan in, adding, “The officer asked me to hand over my badge; he said that it was disabled.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and MS NOW for comment.
