Former President Donald Trump is frequently seen reading news articles and social media clippings on printed paper as he addresses the media after being in court for his criminal hush money trial. The printouts come courtesy of his “human printer,” Natalie Harp.
According to the Bulwark, it is believed that Harp, 32, entered Trump’s orbit in 2019, then worked on his 2020 campaign. Trump at the time called her “that young, beautiful woman.” Now, she provides Trump printouts of news and posts from social media via a portable printer she carries around with rechargeable batteries so that Trump, 77, does not need to strain his eyes to see a phone screen. Harp is always around Trump to provide his papers, even sitting at the defense’s table during his hush money trial in Manhattan.
“If you want the president to see something, the best route is Natalie,” a source familiar with Harp and Trump said. “Don’t underestimate her importance.”
Harp is also responsible for the Trump campaign’s scandal on Tuesday when it reposted a video on social media with a reference to a “unified Reich,” which is a phrase with ties to Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. The video was deleted and the campaign blamed an unnamed staffer for the wrongdoing.
“This was not a campaign video, it was created by a random account online and reposted by a junior staffer who clearly did not see the word, while the President was in court,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
The campaign did not name the “junior staffer,” but sources told the Bulwark the “junior staffer” was Harp.
Harp’s job is largely autonomous, and it’s not clear who exactly oversees her work as Trump campaign co-managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita do not directly oversee her job.
“Natalie fills a role and Chris and Susie know that’s what he wants,” another source said, “so they focus on other things.”
Trump has spoken highly of Harp, but it is unclear if the job could be done by her alone or someone else.
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“The fact is the president needs someone like Natalie around to feed him constant information and take his orders like a conveyor belt,” another source familiar with Harp said. “If she wasn’t doing this, someone else would.”
“Human printer” is not the only unique job that Trump has created during his time in politics. When he was president, the White House employed staffers who were tasked with taping back together papers that Trump had torn up when he was finished with them.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.