President Donald Trump's White House faces a dilemma as aide Natalie Harp infuriates insiders by bowing to his whims without running them past his inner circle, according to a new report.
The rabid defense of Harp, who has become a central focus of the inner workings of the Trump administration, proves that she is "practically untouchable" — and that has people worried, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
Harp spends more time with Trump than any other aide, according to the Journal. She maintains a desk immediately outside the Oval Office and frequently sits beside the president during meetings, "equipped with a laptop and phones to quickly retrieve any information he requires."
As one of a small number of aides with direct access to Trump's Truth Social account, Harp brings the president stacks of printed draft social media posts for approval. Trump sometimes dictates posts to her, which she then publishes from her iPhone, "mimicking his distinctive cadence and punctuation style."
However, Harp's role has frustrated some White House staff members.
"Harp serves as both a buffer and sounding board for the president, a role that has at times frustrated some White House staff, according to people familiar with the matter," according to the report. "Some administration officials have privately complained that Harp has shown the president material from far-right groups that is riddled with false or misleading information."
White House officials report that Harp has not taken a single vacation day since joining the administration and remains in constant contact with the president, attending meetings in the Situation Room, Oval Office and aboard Air Force One.
Unlike other executive staff, Harp reports exclusively to Trump and no one else.
"She has at times ruffled feathers among White House aides by immediately following through on Trump’s directives without first checking in with the chief of staff, the communications office or the national-security team," the Post reported.
The Journal previously reported that Harp was the one who posted the racist video "depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, and an AI-generated image of Trump as a Christ-like figure."
The White House deleted both posts after Trump was deluged with criticism from both sides of the aisle.