Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) on Sunday pushed back against recent scrutiny of White House aide Natalie Harp, describing the discourse as “super misogynistic.” The comments come after Democrats and former White House staffers questioned the nature of Harp’s relationship with President Trump, citing letters she wrote to him that were made public by The Daily Beast.
In those letters, Harp expressed intense devotion to Trump. “You are all that matters to me,” she wrote in one. “I don’t want to ever let you down.” In another, she wrote: “And please, when I fail, will you tell me? You have the absolute right to cuss me out, if need be, when I deserve it, because no one knows or cares about me more.”
Moreno, a first-term Republican from Ohio and a close ally of the president, dismissed the criticism as rooted in sexism. “That’s super misogynistic,” he told reporters. “I mean, the reality is she’s a very talented person. She’s very smart at what she does. She helps the president make sure he’s communicating. And the fact that if it was a guy, nobody would say that.”
Moreno attributed the rumors to Harp’s gender and appearance, noting she is “a woman” and “obviously…pretty.” He stressed that she is “very talented, very, very smart” and added that he knows her well. “It’s also obviously a very kind person. She went through bone cancer in her twenties,” he said.
Harp, who is sometimes referred to as the “human printer” in the White House, accompanies Trump on Air Force One and attends high-level meetings to provide him with news clippings and talking points on demand. She joined the 2024 campaign after crediting Trump for saving her life by signing the Right to Try Act, which allowed her to access experimental cancer treatments. She later moved from a hosting role at One America News Network to a key West Wing position as executive assistant to the president.
The latest wave of criticism was sparked in part by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), who at a campaign rally two weeks ago mocked Trump’s priorities, claiming the president “doesn’t want to do the job” and instead wants to focus on the White House ballroom project and “travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar.” The White House pushed back on those remarks.
Eric Trump also came to Harp’s defense on X, writing: “Natalie is an incredible young woman — a cancer survivor, a genuinely good person, and arguably one of the hardest-working people in the White House. She’s deeply committed to my father, to her job, and to this country.” His statement echoed the broader pushback from Trump allies.
Moreno’s comments add to a growing Republican effort to frame the criticism as an unfair personal attack rather than a legitimate policy or ethics concern. The episode also highlights the intense loyalty and personal relationships that define Trump’s inner circle, where aides like Harp hold outsized influence. As the White House continues to navigate a series of controversies, including Eric Trump’s earlier rebuke of CNN coverage, the debate over Harp’s role shows no signs of abating.
Moreno, who has been a vocal supporter of the president on other fronts, including his Social Security tax plan that drew conservative backlash, urged a focus on policy rather than personal lives. “I mean, look at the other day, I’ve always said, let’s just keep personal issues out,” he said.
