Natalie Harp Is Screening Calls to Trump as White House Tightens Access

The president’s personal phone line once offered journalists an unusually direct route to the Oval Office. Now, a close aide reportedly decides which callers get through, as Trump retreats into an increasingly narrow circle of advisers

For months, one of the most unusual features of Donald Trump’s presidency was also one of the simplest: journalists could call his personal cellphone and, if he felt like answering, speak directly to the president of the United States.

That informal channel now appears to be closing. Natalie Harp, one of Trump’s closest aides, has reportedly taken control of the phone and begun deciding which journalists are allowed to speak with him — a new layer of screening that comes as the president faces the political fallout from the Republicans’ disastrous midterm performance.

The change marks a departure from a practice the White House had repeatedly presented as evidence of Trump’s accessibility. Reporters could try their luck at almost any hour, particularly early in the morning or during weekends, when the president was playing golf. Whether he answered often depended on his mood. When he was in a good one, calls multiplied. When he was not, few journalists got through.

Now, several reporters say calls to the personal number Trump used for media contacts have been answered by a young woman who first asks who is calling.

The exchange was captured during a live broadcast on election night, when Politico’s Dasha Burns called the president. A female voice answered: “Hello, may I ask who’s speaking?” After a brief pause, she added, “One moment, please.” Trump then came on the line and greeted Burns.

The Independent reported that the voice sounded identical to Harp’s, after comparing it with a recording of her speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention.

An American White House correspondent separately confirmed to Adnkronos that a young woman answered a recent call on a Thursday and put the journalist through only after Trump heard the caller’s name and gave his approval. Adnkronos also tried the number circulating among White House correspondents, without receiving an answer, and sought comment from the White House press office, which did not respond.

The new arrangement appears designed to shield Trump from potentially uncomfortable conversations with reporters at a time when his approval ratings have fallen to historic lows. Harp is reportedly handling the calls apparently at her own discretion.

Harp’s influence reaches beyond the president’s phone

The screening role is only the latest indication of how much influence Harp has acquired inside Trump’s inner circle.

Several media outlets have reported that she repeatedly put the president in contact with far-right activist Laura Loomer, despite objections from senior administration officials. She was also reportedly among those pushing for the September decision to exclude CNN, MSNBC and Politico from the White House.

Her proximity to Trump has increased further in recent weeks. Harp has reportedly moved from the desk she usually occupied outside the Oval Office to the president’s private dining room, where she prints out newspaper articles and documents for him to read.

She has also been photographed alongside Trump during the election campaign and is said to publish material on Truth Social on his behalf. The New York Times has described her as part of the small group of people around whom the president has increasingly isolated himself.

Harp was also reportedly responsible for recording Trump’s lengthy attack on comedian Bill Maher aboard Air Force One last week. The president dictated a 1,300-word tirade after Maher had attended a dinner at the White House and then mocked Trump during the opening monologue of his television show.

A relationship built around Trump’s approval

Harp’s devotion to the president has long attracted attention. Her earlier writings, including several emails, portrayed Trump in strikingly personal terms: as a spiritual guide, a father figure and even a romantic protagonist reminiscent of Mr. Darcy.

That relationship has now placed her in a position of unusual influence over who gets access to the president — including members of the press who once could reach him simply by dialing his personal number.

The timing is politically significant. Democrats have regained control of Congress, and the midterm results delivered a sharp rebuke to the Trump administration. Yet the new gatekeeping system raises a question beyond the president’s relationship with journalists: as Washington’s political balance shifts, will Harp also become the person controlling Trump’s contacts with the Democrats, or will that channel remain open to others?