As then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris was giving a televised speech at the DNC back in August of 2024, a quieter drama was playing out just beyond the cameras.
Natalie Harp, now Donald Trump's executive assistant, who has been with him since March 2022, was seen hunched over her laptop, firing off punchy social posts in real-time.
'He [Trump] dictates to her, and she does his posts,' says a source familiar with the administration's communication strategy. 'He types it out, and it rips.'
In the nerve center of the West Wing, the most powerful tool in Trump's arsenal is his iPhone - and only a few have the password to communicate his message to the world.
One of them is Harp, the ubiquitous 'human printer' who shadows the president with a battery-powered rig, ready to churn out hard copies of favorable news clips and damaging broadsides at a moment's notice.
She is among a core team of three musketeers, commandeering the most scrutinized social media account in the world.
The trio includes Harp, social media guru Dan Scavino, who has been with the president since his days as a teenage golf caddie, and, occasionally, Communications Director Steven Cheung.
Everyone has their unique skills to bring to the digital table. For example, Scavino is known for being the AI video creator and mass distributor of posts produced by the MAGA faithful.
After his election win, Trump is seen firing off punchy jabs to Natalie Harp, who then posts them on X and Truth Social
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, from left, Margo Martin and Natalie Harp walk to board Marine One with President Donald Trump on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, April 10
In the nerve center of the West Wing, the most powerful tool in President Donald Trump's arsenal is his iPhone - and only a few have the password to communicate his message to the world
Harp is the go-to for writing copy and making quick and snappy posts on Truth Social with the president's permission, while the no-holds-barred Cheung helps with overall messaging and a stream of fiery posts designed to decapitate the president's critics.
'Cheung is also great at trolling the president's enemies online,' a source said. 'You might have seen that on the president's account and also on his own.'
Harp has sparked friction among West Wing staffers by reportedly bypassing the standard chain of command, reportedly refusing to clear social media posts with the chief of staff's office, communications team or even national security officials, according to a financial outlet.
A White House source denied these claims to the Daily Mail, saying she simply does what the president asks.
Harp's nickname, the human printer, was acquired during her time on the 2024 campaign, according to The Bulwark. She was known for printing out articles about the president and delivering them to him in a Lululemon bag with rapid speed, a source details.
In an excerpt from Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power obtained by Daily Mail, Axios' Alex Isenstadt described Harp's behavior as erratic on numerous occasions leading up to the election.
Cementing her rumored intense devotion, Harp once authored a string of letters to the president, featuring one where she declared, 'You are all that matters to me.' On one occasion, while Trump played golf in Scotland, she actually trailed behind his cart to ensure he stayed briefed on favorable news and social media trends.
'I want to bring you joy,' she expressed in writing, 'to feel like we can get through a day without ever having to talk 'work.'
The three musketeers of his inner circle include social media guru Dan Scavino, who has been with the President since his days as a teenage golf caddie, political aide Natalie Harp, and, occasionally, Communications Director Steven Cheung
Everyone has their unique skills. For example, Scavino is the AI video creator and mass distributor of posts already made that he likes
Inside the Team Trump war room in the campaign trail in August. A plate of chicken nuggets was placed before Trump and his aide before Harp hammered out Trump's Truth Social and X posts that he would dictate for her
As for the reach of some of these videos and posts Harp and the team creates - many get billions of impressions in just a few days. Since returning for a second term, Trump has seen his Truth Social audience surge by four million followers, reaching a new total of 12.6 million.
Regarding volume, between 8pm and midnight on December 1, the president's account saw its most active day of the second term so far, firing off nearly 160 posts, according to one financial website's calculation.
'Sometimes Scavino for example sees things that he likes and he will reshare, sometimes he will make them. He is big in the AI world and helping make those types of videos and photos,' a second source familiar with the president's social media team explains.
The president maintains an 'open door policy,' frequently soliciting thoughts from other advisors like Karoline Leavitt or Jason Miller, who monitors how 'things are playing on X,' but the final output remains '100 percent Trump.'
'He mostly dictates, and then you just shut up,' one source said of the process. 'By the time he's dictated it to you, you're posting it. No questions asked.'
This is a significant difference from Trump's first four years in office, when the staff who controlled his social media were advised to flag higher-ups of potentially problematic posts.
One source close to the president painted a picture of a commander-in-chief who is 'very particular' about the aesthetics of his feed, even when it defies standard English conventions.
'He's very particular about grammar,' the source noted, adding that while his style 'might not be AP style,' there is always a reason he wants specific punctuation or capitalization for personalized emphasis.
'It's Trump style,' the source said.
An AI image shows Trump wearing a white cassock and papal headdress - modeled as the Pope in a Truth Social post
Trump's Truth Social account depicts an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus. He received significant backlash on this post from the religious community who said he went a step too far
President Trump fires off barrage of AI slop on Truth Social
This attention to detail extends beyond the screen.
However, the power of this unfiltered access has occasionally led to a few disasters.
One such incident involved an AI–style video featuring Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys in the jungle, along with other Democrats as animals, that drew significant backlash. Sources say Harp was responsible for posting that video and Trump approved it.
'That was a poorly edited video,' one social media insider noted. 'He had seen the election integrity video, and he had approved that, but they didn't edit it or cut it at the right moment.'
The error reportedly occurred when a staffer screen–recorded the footage and let it run a few seconds too long, accidentally capturing the next video in their feed.
Other instances have skirted the line of political decorum – and oftentimes reality.
There was the AI-generated depiction of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a sombrero, a post confirmed by sources to have originated from the White House communications team.
'It was their idea and it got the green light,' the second social media insider noted.
Then came the high-fantasy imagery: Trump reimagined by AI as the Pope, Jesus and even a crowned King - which insiders say Harp also took credit for.
One of the more jarring videos featured Trump in a fighter jet, dropping manure on 'No Kings' protesters.
Another viral hit was the 'Gaza Riviera' video, showing a digital Trump dancing with belly dancers and tossing stacks of cash – a surrealist nod to his previous claims about the territory's real estate potential.
Unlike the first administration, where aides reportedly tried to 'over–explain' or 'over–correct' the president, the current West Wing now operates on the belief that 'it's going pretty well with him being himself.'
This 'authenticity' of Trump 2.0 apparently extends to the rest of the communications staff.
'There are really only three people with access to his social media,' one source familiar revealed
This shift from traditional gatekeeping is the practical application of a deeper, counter-intuitive philosophy that now defines the second-term operation
Margo Martin, the president's communications advisor, captures raw, behind–the–scenes footage from the motorcade and is in the lane of 'humanizing' the administration.
'Martin takes you behind the scenes to show you what a day in the life looks like,' a source familiar with the process and travel said.
The source explains how this strategy has paid off – going with 'raw footage' behind the scenes versus 'beautifully polished and curated video that an ad maker puts out.'
This seismic shift toward raw and uninhibited digital–first engagement has influenced the building's most senior leadership.
Even Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has undergone a digital transformation.
Though notoriously private and initially hesitant to step into the spotlight, Wiles launched her own account on X because she felt her presence could 'shine a light on what the administration was accomplishing,' two sources close to Wiles and Trump explain.
A source close to Wiles says does not weigh in on the president's social media posts.
'Everyone was shocked when she said she wanted to go for it,' one of the sources remarked with a laugh.
As the administration looks toward the midterms, this all-hands-on-deck strategy is already in high gear, with the president issuing blaring endorsements and attacking opponents.
The Daily Mail reached out to Harp, Scavino and Cheung.
Cheung explained that Trump's Truth Social has never been hotter because he offers his 'unfiltered' thoughts to the American people.
'We don't discuss internal deliberations of how the process works, but no other social-media tool has been more effective than Truth,' Cheung told the Daily Mail.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales declined to discuss the team's strategy only to herald Trump as 'his own best messenger.'
The next time Trump's Truth Social lights up, chances are one of those three musketeers is holding the match.