The Aporia · Trump joked Natalie Harp could replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary: report

Trump joked Natalie Harp could replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary: report

Read the original at The Independent ↗

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Scott, O. (2026, August 21). Trump joked Natalie Harp could replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary: report. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-natalie-harp-karoline-leavitt-press-b3036936.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

President Donald Trump reportedly joked that his aide Natalie Harp could replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary. According to sources, Trump made this comment in response to Leavitt's recent announcement that she is leaving her position. The search for a replacement continues, with political commentator Scott Jennings emerging as a frontrunner and having met with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles at a steakhouse in Washington D.C. This comes amidst growing concern over Leavitt's departure and scrutiny of Harp's role in the administration.

Written by AI on 2026-08-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Natalie Harp, a 35-year-old Californian who graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2012 and earned an MBA from Liberty University in 2015, is one of Donald Trump's closest and most devoted aides. She was introduced as "a formerly forgotten American from California" at the 2020 Republican national convention, where she compared Trump to George Bailey, a character from the classic film It's a Wonderful Life. Harp's official job title is special assistant to the president and executive assistant on an annual salary of $150,000.

After joining the White House in 2022, Harp attracted attention for her devoted letters to Trump and her constant presence by his side. She has been nicknamed the "human printer" for supplying him with print-outs of information. Recently, Trump reportedly joked that she could replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary.

Harp's relationship with Trump has raised concerns about security clearance, as it was reported that she worked at the White House without routine clearance for over a year. She eventually filled out the paperwork and was granted clearance after Trump became involved.

The scrutiny of Harp's role in the administration has also led to questions about her special perks, including access to an exclusive Sunday buffet at Trump's golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Her devotion to Trump has been described as "obsequious" by some, and her relationship with him has been compared to a "cult-like" dynamic.

Written for “Natalie Harp Controversy” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads centre and hedges 20% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Who is Natalie Harp? Trump’s closest and most devoted aide is in the spotlight Same event

The Guardian

⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 4 of 48 claims Outlet record 66/100

I Worked for Trump. The Natalie Harp Saga Isn’t Surprising. Same event

The Bulwark

⚖️ Leans left further left than this Hedges 2 of 10 claims

White House launches personal attack on CNN reporter over question to Trump Different event

The Guardian

⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 0 of 22 claims Outlet record 66/100

“Article A describes a personal attack by the White House on Kristen Holmes, while Article B reports on a joke made by Trump about replacing Karoline Leavitt with Natalie Harp as press secretary”

Why everyone is talking about Trump's aide Natalie Harp Different event

CBC News

⚖️ Leans left further left than this Hedges 1 of 30 claims Outlet record 60/100

“Article A describes a specific security incident involving President Trump, while Article B discusses a separate anecdote about Trump joking about Harp replacing another aide”

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

20%

3 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

Centre

of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate

Publisher signals

59/100

The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Politics

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-08-21 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Independent · 3448 article(s) · 7 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 7 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

Owen Scott

81 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

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2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Trump’s Air Force One flies dangerous close to White House shocking and scaring visitors

🔮 Trump has previously stated that he will accept the midterm results, under one condition.

2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Newsom warns Trump about interfering in state’s election ahead of midterms

🔮 William “Stone” Romberg, a beach hospitality manager who worked in Florida’s panhandle, was killed on Sunday as he swam out to untangle the bird from his lure after casting it near an inlet in the Panama City Beach area.

2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Florida dad dies in freak accident drowning while trying to save seagull from his fishing line

🔮 President Donald Trump has warned a federal judge that he will hold her personally responsible if anyone dies on a “highly dangerous” golf course he wants renovated.

2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Trump warns golf course judge will be held responsible if anyone dies on ‘highly dangerous’ site

🔮 Currently, the GOP controls both the House and the Senate, but some polls have shown that the Democratic Party could flip the balance of power in Congress.

2026-10-29 · assertive framing · 39 million people have already voted in this year’s midterm as Trump makes final push to save his majority

🔮 During his show, Maher said that Trump had the “lowest approval rating of any midterm candidate ever,” poked fun at the president’s comments about Senator Jon Husted’s body and asked Leavitt what Trump could be like during the “lame-duck” phase of his presidency.

2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Trump savages ‘total loser’ Bill Maher in 1,300-word rant after Karoline Leavitt appearance

🔮 A DOGE affiliate who oversaw the firing of thousands of federal employees and ended USAID may not have had the authority to do so, according to a report.

2026-10-28 · assertive framing · DOGE bro who fired thousands and ended USAID may not have had authority to make changes: report

🔮 The former press secretary was asked by Finnerty if she would ever return to Hannity’s show, after her tense interview with the Fox News host.

2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Ex White House press secretary Zacharia says she was not prepared for ‘hostility’ in viral interview

🔮 However, Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday that his endorsement of Netanyahu turned around the latter’s campaign and may still carry him back to office. “When President Trump endorsed Bibi Netanyahu, the whole tide turned, and now, rather than a decisive defeat for a Great Prime Minister, it looks like a big come-from-behind stalemate, or even a WIN for Netanyahu,” Trump wrote, seemingly crediting the quote to a man named Irving C. Schwartz.

2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Trump takes credit for Netanyahu election performance after endorsing Israeli prime minister

2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Trump savages ‘total loser’ Bill Maher in 1,300 word rant after Karoline Leavitt appearance

Also by Owen Scott

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Newsom warns Trump about interfering in state’s election ahead of midterms

2026-10-30 · The Independent

Florida dad dies in freak accident drowning while trying to save seagull from his fishing line

2026-10-29 · The Independent

Trump warns golf course judge will be held responsible if anyone dies on ‘highly dangerous’ site

2026-10-29 · The Independent

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 81 articles by Owen Scott →

Topics

CNN D.C. Iranian Washington White House

Subjects

Trump PERSON · 7× Harp PERSON · 5× White House ORG · 5× Leavitt PERSON · 4× CNN ORG · 3× Jennings PERSON · 3× Natalie Harp PERSON · 2× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× Iranian NORP · 1× Karoline Leavitt PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Both women have been key figures in Trump’s inner circle in recent years, with Leavitt recently announcing she was leaving her position, in an unexpected move that leaves a key role unfilled. Harp, the president’s executive assistant, is frequently spotted at Trump’s side and has even earned the nickname of “human printer” because she provides the president with hard copies of news articles and social media posts.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-08-21

🔮 President Donald Trump reportedly joked that his aide Natalie Harp could replace Karoline Leavitt as the next White House press secretary.

2026-08-21 · The Independent

Trump joked Natalie Harp could replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary: report · assertive framing

Claims (15 extracted, 3 hedged)

President Donald Trump reportedly joked that his aide Natalie Harp could replace Karoline Leavitt as the next White House press secretary. uncertain

aide → joke → secretary

she → announce → articles

Sources told CNN on Thursday that Trump joked that he may have Harp, who has come under the spotlight in recent days over her devotion to the president, replace the outgoing Leavitt. uncertain

who → tell → Leavitt

Scrutiny of Harp’s role in the administration has intensified after a report she was one of a small number of staff smuggled onto a military plane with Trump to escape a suspected Iranian threat. asserted

she → intensify → threat

Another report focused on letters Harp has written to the president, expressing her devotion to him, with a third suggesting she sat in the trunk of an SUV to accompany Trump to a courthouse in 2023. asserted

she → focus → 2023

On Thursday night, Trump even posted an A.I.-generated image of himself in the White House press briefing room, standing at the podium with the caption “The Best Press Secretary”. asserted

Trump → post → caption

But as the search for a replacement for Leavitt continues, sources told CNN that there is growing concern over the press secretary’s departure. asserted

sources → continue → departure

“It feels like her and Susie are the only people holding this place together sometimes,” a White House official told the network, referring to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. asserted

official → feel → Wiles

Sources also told the network that political commentator Scott Jennings has emerged as a frontrunner to replace Leavitt, and is said to have met Wiles at a steakhouse in Washington, D.C. Speaking to CNN’s NewsNight earlier this week, Jennings was coy when asked about rumors that he may be in line for the high-profile role. uncertain

he → tell → role

“I don’t have any comment about that,” he said, before adding: “I think every president deserves a good, solid defense and someone who can go out there and explain what they’re doing, because the government’s doing so much.” asserted

government → have → much

Jennings defended Harp from critics this week, after she was referenced by Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in a recent speech that was highly critical of Trump. asserted

that → defend → Trump

“I just don’t think that’s what you sign up for when you’re someone like Natalie Harp, who never put her name on a ballot,” Jennings told Politico. asserted

Jennings → think → Politico

“She’s not the White House press secretary. asserted

She → ’ → ?

She’s not a household name, and I just find it to be appalling. asserted

it → ’ → ?

Somebody needs to defend her honor.” asserted

Somebody → need → honor