Even if Donald Trump has a handful of aides close to him at all times, it’s safe to say that Natalie Harp is the one people can’t stop talking about. That’s because she seems to be seen with him more often than not and, with the visibility of being Trump’s right-hand woman, Harp now has to deal with extra public scrutiny.
Part of that scrutiny, according to MS NOW, involves the fact that Harp went a full year without getting her White House security clearance before she finally obtained it. Let that sink in. Harp traveled with Trump, attended important meetings with him, and remained close to him in multiple ways, all before she had her federal background check and official clearance for access to the president cleared. Nepo babies are certainly a thing, but this seems to prove that Trump may have played favorites with this particular aide.
No one knows why Natalie Harp waited a year to get her White House security clearance.
Harp reportedly refused to move forward with necessary paperwork for the security clearance process in more than a year as an aide to Trump. The reason remains unknown, but it posed a problem with White House officials, as Harp has been privy to some pretty confidential information as one of Trump’s closest and most visible aides.
MS NOW reported that multiple unnamed people close to the White House revealed that Harp “plays into” a side of Trump that makes for less strategic moves by the president and more “troublesome” ones. Sources also told the outlet that there have been efforts to remove Harp from such close proximity to Trump, but those moves have been unsuccessful.
Karoline Leavitt told the outlet, “Natalie Harp has a security clearance like everyone else, and she is a loyal and hardworking member of President Trump’s team.” Well, she might have it now, but she apparently failed to have that clearance for a year at least while working with Trump.
When someone on a Reddit thread questioned how Harp could officially and legally deny to be vetted for her role in the White House, another user responded, “The president has ultimate classification authority and can give anybody access to anything (apart from nuclear secrets, because that is controlled by Congress under the Atomic Energy Act). Something that we hopefully fix when Trump is gone.”
Donald Trump reportedly intervened to make sure she received clearance.
After Harp traveled the world with Trump, worked closely with him during important meetings and with important documents and information, for more than a year, she was given security clearance. Though even now, it’s not clear if it was all done above board. According to MS NOW, Trump secured her clearance, but it’s not clear if that means Harp went through the necessary paperwork and process that other White House staffers go through in order to receive security clearance at any level.
No one understands how she was able to work closely with the president for as long as she did.
Per the same Reddit thread about Trump granting clearance to Harp, people questioned how she was able to get such close access to the government without some kind of official clearance.
“She’s a fawning blonde, that’s all that can possibly matter to these people,” a Reddit user commented on the post. “We don’t have leaders, we have defectives with vast, vast amounts of money, and who couldn’t care less about the United States, but view the presidency as the only position on this planet they can’t be prosecuted from.”
Harp has been in close proximity to Trump since 2020, when he hired her to join his advisory board for his reelection campaign, according to Newsweek.
Before that, Harp spoke out publicly in favor of Trump and his healthcare policies. It wasn’t until mid-2026 that people really began to take notice of Harp popping up either alongside Trump or in the background of photos. And, with her White House security clearance, Harp continues to work closely with the president.
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