‘Human Printer’ Natalie Harp Reportedly Eyed to Replace Karoline Leavitt Amid Donald Trump Favouritism Row

President Donald Trump is weighing whether to elevate close aide Natalie Harp to White House press secretary in Washington as early as the end of August, according to CNN, potentially putting his 35‑year‑old 'human printer' at the centre of the administration's most combative public role.

The reported move comes after current press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced she will step down at the end of the month to focus on her two young children following the birth of her second child in May.

Her departure has triggered a scramble inside the West Wing over who should front the briefing room, with names floated ranging from seasoned Republican strategist Scott Jennings to Trump's fiercely loyal inner‑circle aide, Harp.

Natalie Harp and the 'Human Printer' Mythology

Harp's rise inside Trump world has been unusually fast even by this White House's standards. A former on‑air host at the far‑right network One America News Network, she joined Trump's orbit in 2022 as a personal aide, then became executive assistant to the president when he began his second term in January 2025.

Her current titles, according to the White House, are special assistant and executive assistant to the president.

She is rarely far from Trump's side. A profile in The New York Times, said she earned the nickname 'human printer' during the 2024 campaign because she lugged a portable printer to rallies and on the road, churning out positive headlines and flattering social media posts for a president who prefers his praise on paper.

It is mundane work on the face of it, but inside this particular bubble, it is power‑adjacent.

Harp has largely avoided public interviews and social media during Trump's second term, a striking contrast to many in his entourage who relish online combat. Before she disappeared from public view, she built a small following on the right as a cancer survivor who credited Trump with helping to save her life.

In 2019 she appeared on Fox News and said the president's 2018 Right to Try law allowed her access to experimental treatment for stage 2 bone cancer. She went on to speak at the Faith and Freedom conference and at the 2020 Republican National Convention before landing at One America News.

Inside the White House, colleagues describe her, at least publicly, as hard‑working and devoted. Karoline Leavitt herself has defended Harp, calling her 'one of the most loyal and hardest‑working aides on President Trump's team.' If that sounds a little choreographed, well, this is the comms shop.

If Trump does choose Harp to replace Leavitt, her pay packet would jump from 150,000 dollars a year to 195,200 dollars, the top federal salary band for full‑time White House Office staff and the same rate Leavitt currently earns.

The president has reportedly joked to advisers that he could tap Harp for the job, and one unnamed source told CNN she has 'entered the mix' of serious contenders.

Natalie Harp at the Heart of a Favouritism Backlash

Harp's closeness to Trump has already become a minor political flashpoint. The latest flare‑up came earlier this month in Atlanta, where Georgia Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff, who is up for re‑election in November, used her name as shorthand for what he cast as Trump's lack of interest in governing.

Ossoff told supporters that Trump did not want to 'do the job' and instead wanted to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their 'apparently defenceless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar.' The line was clearly designed to sting and to paint Harp as emblematic of Trump's more indulgent instincts, not his serious ones.

Ossoff was referring to reports that Harp was among a small group of aides, including Dan Scavino and Walt Nauta, who joined Trump on a decoy military flight out of Turkey last month during what was described as a security threat.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent travelled separately, a split that fuelled questions about who gets closest to the president when things turn serious.

Asked in the Oval Office on 17 August about Ossoff's attack, Trump responded in predictably personal terms. He compared the senator to Pee‑wee Herman and told CNN's Kristen Holmes he would 'much rather do other things' than discuss the East Wing construction project that has become another stick for critics to hit him with.

The White House machine quickly followed up. Communications director Steven Cheung posted on social media that Ossoff should 'look deep into his soul and ask himself why he's a miserable person who hates this country' instead of criticising staff.

That kind of language is unusually raw even for official channels, but it is not out of step with the Trump era, where aides are routinely dragged into the line of fire.

Not everyone in Republican circles is thrilled with Harp's role. Sarah Matthews, who served as a deputy press secretary during Trump's first term and resigned hours after the 6 January 2021 riot at the US Capitol, told Laura Coates Live on CNN on 18 August that Harp's proximity to Trump had unnerved some members of the Secret Service and his 2024 campaign team.

Matthews argued that staffers in such positions are public figures and cannot be insulated from criticism simply because they are not elected.

CNN has also reported an eyebrow‑raising anecdote from October 2023, before Trump returned to office, when Harp allegedly climbed into the boot of an SUV in his motorcade after being told there was no room before a New York court appearance.

Her estranged brother, Preston Harp, told the network she is the president's 'biggest fan' and has had an 'obsession' with presidents since her teenage years. That word, obsession, captures some of what unsettles critics and delights Trump loyalists.

IBTimes UK cannot independently verify these claims, so take everything lightly.

Race To Succeed Karoline Leavitt Pits Loyalty Against TV Polish

While Harp grabs attention because of her notoriety inside Trump world, she is not the only name in the frame. CNN political commentator Scott Jennings has emerged as an early favourite, according to multiple White House staffers quoted by the network.

Chief of staff Susie Wiles met Jennings at Mastro's Steakhouse in Washington at the administration's request, two sources familiar with the meeting told CNN. A senior White House official described him as 'competent and good on TV,' a combination that tends to matter when the briefing room becomes a daily televised sparring match.

Jennings is no stranger to Republican power. He previously served as a special assistant to President George W. Bush and deputy director of political affairs in that administration, and has long been a close adviser to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

On air, he has repeatedly defended Harp as scrutiny of her role has intensified, which may not hurt his standing in Trump's circle.

Wiles is expected to meet several other candidates before making a recommendation, and one official stressed that the process is still at an early stage. Inside the West Wing, though, the broader question is already clear enough.

Does Trump want a disciplined media professional at the lectern, or does he want someone who, like Harp, already lives inside his headspace and reinforces his instincts every day.

That choice, more than the salary band or the steakhouse meetings, will tell the country what this White House thinks the job of press secretary really is.

Originally published on IBTimes UK