Trump's Young Blonde Aide Natalie Harp 'Pushed' Prez to Hire Katie Zacharia as White House Press Secretary — Only for Him to Fire Her a Week Later
President Donald Trump reportedly took Natalie Harp's advice when hiring Katie Zacharia as White House press secretary.
Oct. 19 2026, Updated 10:21 a.m. ET
President Donald Trump's longtime aide, Natalie Harp, reportedly helped push Katie Zacharia's appointment as White House press secretary, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The president made the decision just days before he pulled the plug on her brief tenure.
Natalie Harp Had a Hand in Katie Zacharia's Hiring
Natalie Harp allegedly helped push Katie Zacharia's appointment.
Harp, 35, played a significant role in advancing Zacharia's appointment, with sources saying the decision was "furthered along with the strong input" of the president's personal assistant.
Zacharia, 41, traveled from California to Washington, D.C., on October 8 to meet with Trump, 80.
The following day, she was reportedly offered the press secretary position during their meeting, setting off a whirlwind week that ended with her being out of the job.
Donald Trump Says He Tried to Talk Her Out of It
Donald Trump claimed he encouraged Katie Zacharia to reconsider the press secretary position.
Zacharia was fired from her position on October 16.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Zacharia found out she was being pushed out while speaking with the newspaper during an interview in her new office.
Trump said, "I said, 'Katie, is this for you?' Because, you know, she's been treated very rough, and she's a nice person, a very nice person," Trump said Friday.
"I've watched her for years on television, but I said, 'Is this for you, Katie? Because honestly, you don't need this,'" he added.
Briefing Blunders Put Her Under Scrutiny
Katie Zacharia faced criticism after her first press briefing that lasted 14 minutes and included just three questions.
Zacharia's first press briefing on October 13 did little to quiet the questions about her appointment.
The mother of four answered just three questions, all from conservative media outlets, and leaned heavily on prepared remarks before leaving the podium in 14 minutes.
During the disastrous briefing, she also appeared to confuse Trump with her husband, adding to the mess.
Katie Zacharia on Sean Hannity's Show
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Katie Zacharia went on Sean Hannity's show to talk about her rough press briefing.
Zacharia went on Sean Hannity's show on October 15 to clear the air about her rough briefing.
However, it only added more questions about the press secretary's credentials and was allegedly the last straw Trump needed to fire her.
Hannity explained why he questioned Zacharia.
"A lot of people talk about her being on the show last night; I just assumed after three days she would want an opportunity to put it to rest," Hannity said.
"And I just — I assumed otherwise if she went back in the briefing room having not addressed it in her own way, I felt like it gave her an opportunity to do that, that it would [be all-consuming] in her next briefing. So I figured, you know, let's hear what she thought about for three days, what she thinks. But we will see what happens. Peter Doocy, we appreciate it, thank you," he added.
When Doocy said Hannity had given the former press secretary "straightforward questions that could have had straightforward answers," the Fox News host responded, "I mean, I felt — I just expected a different answer last night, personally. Anyway, we wish everybody the best."
