Additional Coverage:
- Melania’s top staffer reveals their honest verdict on Trump’s close aide Natalie Harp (themirror.com)
A senior adviser to First Lady Melania Trump has strongly dismissed recent tabloid rumors surrounding Natalie Harp, President Donald Trump’s executive assistant, whose close presence to the president has sparked increased media scrutiny.
Marc Beckman, senior adviser to the first lady, addressed the speculation during an interview on conservative commentator Stella Escobedo’s YouTube show, released Tuesday. Beckman emphasized that there is nothing inappropriate about Harp’s position or relationship with the president.
Escobedo directly confronted the issue, stating, “The mainstream media… they’re endlessly obsessed with garbage tabloid gossip about Natalie Harp, who, by the way, is a hard-working, loyal White House aide to President Trump-a cancer survivor-who POTUS helped get off labeled treatment for and saved her life. I mean, what do you make of that?”
Beckman responded firmly, calling the liberal media “ridiculous” and asserting they lack understanding of the first lady’s private and personal life. He criticized the press for failing to highlight the accomplishments of the first lady, instead focusing on what he described as baseless gossip.
“What they need to do is look in the mirror because they’re all attacking this hardworking, very talented, very intelligent person in Natalie Harp,” Beckman said. “The press is obsessed with gossip about the first family. It’s time for them to act like journalists and stop chasing rumors.”
Harp first gained national attention in 2019 after sharing how a 2018 law signed by Trump gave her access to experimental treatments following a bone cancer diagnosis. She joined Trump’s team in 2022 and accompanied him to the White House after his 2024 election victory.
Reports from The New York Times revealed that Harp had written a heartfelt letter to Trump in 2023, saying, “You are all that matters to me.” She was also reportedly given a $45,000 holiday cash gift by the president.
Media scrutiny intensified with stories about Harp sleeping in a locker room at Trump’s Bedminster golf club and traveling in the trunk of an SUV to stay close to the president. The Washington Post also reported last month that she was part of a small entourage that traveled in a catering truck between Air Force One and a smaller jet amid a potential Iranian assassination threat after the NATO summit in Turkey, while Air Force One served as a decoy.
Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia used these reports to criticize the president during an event in Atlanta, saying, “He doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie.”
Meanwhile, the first lady has maintained a low profile this summer, missing several major events. NBC News reported on August 17 that Melania Trump has made roughly half as many public appearances compared to the same period during the president’s first term.