Melania's top staffer reveals their honest verdict on Trump's close aide Natalie Harp
Melania's top staffer reveals their honest verdict on Trump's close aide Natalie Harp
Connor McCroryThu, September 10, 2026 at 4:26 AM UTC
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Melania Trump's top adviser defended Natalie Harp, accusing the media of spreading gossip -Credit:Getty
A senior adviser to first lady Melania Trump is pushing back forcefully against tabloid chatter surrounding Natalie Harp, President Donald Trump's executive assistant, whose constant proximity to the president has drawn growing media attention.
Marc Beckman, who serves as senior adviser to the first lady, addressed the rumors during an appearance on conservative commentator Stella Escobedo's YouTube program released Tuesday, insisting there is nothing improper about Harp's role in the president's orbit.
Escobedo raised the topic directly, saying, "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?"
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"The liberal media is ridiculous. They don't know anything about the first lady's personal and private life," Beckman responded.
"They don't even take the time to put us on air to cover these incredible achievements that our first lady has accomplished."
"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," he continued, saying the press is "obsessed with the gossip with the first family. And I can tell you firsthand that it's time for them to become journalists and stop looking at the gossip."
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Harp first drew national notice in 2019, when she credited a 2018 law signed by Trump
Harp first drew national notice in 2019, when she credited a 2018 law signed by Trump with giving her access to experimental treatments after what she described as a bone cancer diagnosis.
She joined Trump's team in 2022 and followed him to the White House after his 2024 victory.
The New York Times reported at the time that Harp had written to Trump in 2023, "You are all that matters to me." She also reportedly received a $45,000 holiday cash gift from the president.
Scrutiny intensified after reports that Harp slept in a locker room at Trump's Bedminster golf club and rode in the trunk of an SUV to remain near the president.
The Washington Post reported last month that she was among a small group who traveled with Trump in a catering truck between Air Force One and a smaller jet amid a potential Iranian assassination threat following the NATO summit in Turkey, while Air Force One flew on as a decoy.
Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia seized on the reports at an Atlanta event, telling the crowd, "He doesn't want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie."
Meanwhile, the first lady has kept a low profile, skipping several high-profile events this summer.
NBC News reported August 17 that she has made roughly half as many public appearances as at the same point in Trump's first term.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
