Natalie Harp's Clips Fueled Trump's White House Press Ban
President Donald Trump's close aide Natalie Harp showed him clips of media coverage last week before he banned Politico, CNN, and MS NOW from the White House, according to people familiar with the matter. The decision, which stunned many in the West Wing, came after a string of setbacks for the president in the courts and Congress.
One source said a graphic from Politico was among the material that is believed to have infuriated the president and helped inform his decision to bar the three outlets from White House grounds. Trump also viewed clips from television, a second source said.
What prompted the White House media ban?
Trump's pronouncement caught many advisers, including those who deal with the press on a daily basis, by surprise. Trump did not point to any particular story or tension point as the cause when asked about it later that day.
“No reason,” he said Friday, when asked about the ban, adding, “It's a very simple ban. I don't want them in my office. I don't want them here. I would say the ban would go as far as you can.”
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump's frustration builds amid court losses and congressional setbacks
Trump had grown increasingly irate by the end of last week at a stack of losses, including the Supreme Court's decision to block new mail-in voting rules, the Federal Reserve's decision to increase interest rates, a vote in Congress to rein in his ability to wage war in Iran, and a judge's ruling that his name could not be placed on the Kennedy Center, sources familiar with the matter said.
Trump's political advisers have also offered him sober assessments of Republicans' prospects in the upcoming midterm elections, sources said. Many vulnerable Republicans have begun distancing themselves from some of Trump's policy decisions.
By the time Friday arrived, Trump was frustrated about media coverage depicting the string of setbacks and suggesting he was dragging down Republicans' ability to retain their congressional majorities.
Key advisers absent during the decision
Some key advisers were not in the West Wing as the president came to his decision. Chief of staff Susie Wiles, who recently announced she was cancer-free after undergoing treatment, was not in the building, a source said. Vice President JD Vance was flying back from a campaign stop in Iowa when the president announced his decision.
Trump is also without a press secretary after Karoline Leavitt left the administration last month. While Trump has been considering candidates to replace her, he has not made a decision and does not appear to be in a rush to appoint a new spokesperson.
News organizations fight back with First Amendment lawsuit
On Saturday morning, journalists from CNN, Politico, and MS NOW were denied access when they tried to enter the White House grounds. CNN reporter Betsy Klein had her badge seized. All three news organizations are filing a critical First Amendment lawsuit to restore their access.
“Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists' credentials because it objected to our reporting,” the news outlets said. “Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism free from government interference.”
Who is Natalie Harp?
Harp, a former right-wing television host, is one of Trump's closest advisers, particularly when it comes to the messages he posts on Truth Social. She often types out posts the president dictates, and she frequently shares printouts of news articles with him, many of them positive.
She attracted considerable media attention last month when Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff mentioned her by name in a now-viral speech, swiping at Trump's “travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar.”
That was a reference to her joining the president, along with a very limited group, when he secretly boarded a smaller aircraft to leave Turkey due to a threat from Iran in July. The comment outraged the White House, which defended Harp and attacked Ossoff.
Could the ban be lifted?
While Trump did not single out any particular story in issuing his ban, he made clear it was because of the tenor of the three outlets' coverage. The president also talked about his perception that the coverage of him was overwhelmingly negative, and that the ban could be lifted if the targeted outlets “could straighten themselves out.”
First Amendment advocates decried the move as unconstitutional, particularly if it was driven by the substance of the outlets' coverage.
What's next for Trump?
Over the weekend, Trump traveled for one night to Camp David, where he discussed, among other topics, how to proceed in Iran, according to one person familiar with the matter. Trump was originally scheduled to depart the mountainside retreat on Sunday but left a day early. He spent Sunday at his golf course in Northern Virginia.