President Donald Trump’s decision to ban news outlets from the White House reportedly came hours after he was shown unflattering and critical clips by Natalie Harp, one of his closest aides known for putting news reports about his administration in front of him.
Trump banned MSNOW, CNN and Politico from the White House on Friday without notice, stripping journalists of access to the grounds with immediate effect after he accused them of writing “fiction and lies.”
The president did not point to any specific reports that triggered the ban, but it came hours after Harp — dubbed the “human printer” — showed Trump the clips of MSNOW anchors criticizing his administration, according to The Wall Street Journal. An unfavorable Politico graphic was among the content that angered Trump, according to CNN.
“It’s really just cumulative stories over the last two years. You get sick of it,” Trump said when asked what prompted the decision.
A regular presence alongside Trump, Harp is known to carry a portable printer to produce hard copies of favorable news articles and social media posts. The president is also known to dictate posts out loud to Harp, who often manages his day-to-day social media output on Truth Social.
Harp’s proximity to the president was thrust into the spotlight in recent weeks after she was one of only a few staffers the president took with him during a secret plane swap in Turkey after Iran made a threat against his life and Air Force One.
The ban on news outlets comes as the president’s frustrations over media coverage reached boiling point last week amid his plummeting approval rating ahead of the midterm elections, according to the Journal.
Trump also reportedly complained to White House aides that there were not enough of his allies defending him and touting the achievements of his second term on television.
The president’s ban caught White House officials by surprise and happened while chief of staff Susie Wiles was out of town, according to the Journal.
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
CNN, MSNOW and Politico have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to “protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” a statement on behalf of the news organizations said Monday.
Trump doubled down on the ban Monday in a Truth Social post, citing national security.
“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America,” the president said. “It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW!”
He previously warned that other outlets would follow, including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
The revelation about Harp’s reported role in the media ban is the latest in a series of reports regarding her influence with Trump.
Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff and the architect of Trump’s anti-immigration agenda, has reportedly put content he wants the president to see in front of Harp. He has used Harp’s position with the president “at least a couple” of times to get his message to the president without speaking to him directly, a source previously told Zeteo.
The insider revealed that after Miller showed Harp videos, they quickly appeared on Trump’s Truth Social account.
And another person who wanted to give a physical message to Trump told Politico they texted the material to Harp, who replied, “printed.”
The White House previously criticized media coverage of Harp’s relationship with the president, touting her as “one of the most loyal and hardest-working aides on President Trump’s team” in a statement to The Independent.
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