Natalie Harp: Scandals And Controversies

Tracking scandals and controversies involving Natalie Harp, a former One America News host who became one of Donald Trump’s closest aides and now serves as special assistant and executive assistant to the president.

Harp Claimed Trump’s “Right To Try” Law Saved Her Life, But Medical Experts Disputed Her Story. Harp gained national attention by saying Trump had saved her life by signing the 2018 Right to Try Act, claiming the law allowed her to receive experimental treatment for bone cancer. Medical experts who reviewed the details told The Washington Post that the timing and treatment she described made it unlikely that the federal law had played a role in her recovery. [WASHINGTON POST]

Harp Promoted False Claims That The 2020 Election Was Stolen While Working At OAN. As host of The Real Story on One America News, Harp promoted election-fraud conspiracy theories after Joe Biden’s victory. During a June 2021 segment featuring Mike Lindell, Harp claimed the real “big lie” was that Biden had won fairly and predicted investigators would find “election-changing amounts of fraud.” The statements appeared in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation litigation against OAN. [DOMINION COURT FILING]

Harp Was Identified As The Trump Staffer Who Posted A “Unified Reich” Video. Trump’s Truth Social account reposted a campaign video in May 2024 containing the phrase “industrial strength significantly increased … driven by the creation of a unified Reich.” The Trump campaign blamed an unnamed “junior staffer” who supposedly had not noticed the wording. Reporting by The Bulwark identified Harp as the staffer responsible, and reporter Marc Caputo subsequently repeated that identification on CNN. [THE BULWARK] [CNN]

Harp Sent Trump Intensely Personal Letters Calling Him Her “Guardian And Protector.” Letters Harp wrote to Trump described him as her “Guardian and Protector in this Life” and said he was “all that matters to me.” Reporting about the letters said other people in Trump’s orbit were unsettled by the extraordinary level of personal devotion they displayed, and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said the letters had alarmed the Secret Service. [THE GUARDIAN] [DAILY BEAST]

Harp Reportedly Rode In The Trunk Of An SUV So She Would Not Be Separated From Trump. CNN reported that during Trump’s 2023 New York civil-fraud trial, Harp became involved in a screaming match after learning there was no available seat for her in Trump’s motorcade. Harp insisted that Trump had personally asked her to accompany him and ultimately rode in the cargo area of one of the SUVs. CNN said its reporting was based on multiple sources and a photograph of Harp in the vehicle. [CNN]

Harp Reportedly Spent About A Year In Trump’s White House Without A Security Clearance. Despite working in close proximity to Trump and potentially sensitive information, Harp reportedly went for roughly a year without completing the routine security-clearance process. The Guardian reported that she had resisted submitting the necessary forms until intervention by White House lawyers and Trump. Former government ethics and national-security officials called the situation alarming because of Harp’s unusually extensive access to the president. [THE GUARDIAN]

Foreign Leaders Reportedly Use Harp As An Informal Route To Reach Trump. Harp’s access extends well beyond ordinary administrative duties: reporting based on accounts from Trump officials said lawmakers, allies and even foreign leaders contact Harp when they want information put directly in front of the president or are trying to reach him. The arrangement attracted additional scrutiny following revelations that she had operated for an extended period without a routine security clearance. [PEOPLE]

Harp Has Helped Manage Trump’s Controversial Truth Social Output. Harp reportedly prints proposed posts for Trump, receives his approval and then publishes material to his Truth Social account, sometimes outside normal working hours and without coordinating with the White House communications or national-security apparatus. Reporting has connected her role to controversial posts including racist imagery depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes and an AI-generated image portraying Trump as Jesus, although Trump himself approves material and bears responsibility for what appears on his account. [NEW YORK MAGAZINE]

Harp Sent Angry Messages To Trump Megadonor Miriam Adelson At Trump’s Direction. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump instructed Harp to send a series of angry text messages in his name to billionaire Republican donor Miriam Adelson criticizing the people running her pro-Trump super PAC. The messages caused concern inside Trump’s campaign that Adelson might reduce her massive financial support and required efforts to repair the relationship. [AXIOS]

Harp Became A Conduit For Laura Loomer’s Influence Inside Trump’s White House. Harp’s gatekeeping role has also provided far-right activist and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer with a channel for getting accusations about Trump administration officials directly in front of the president. Trump officials told Wired that Harp helped ensure Loomer’s complaints reached Trump as Loomer pushed for the removal of officials she considered insufficiently loyal. [WIRED]