#white-house
8 entries with this tag
Trump's Most Loyal Aide — Natalie Harp, the "Human Printer" Who Sits Just Outside the Oval Office and Handles His Truth Social Account — Worked More Than a Year Inside the White House With No Security Clearance, Repeatedly Refusing the Standard Vetting Every West Wing Staffer Undergoes, Until Trump Personally Intervened to Get Her One; a Former CIA Official Called It "Mind-Boggling"
Natalie Harp — one of Donald Trump's closest and most devoted aides, known as his "human printer" for the stream of flattering news clippings and poll numbers she hands him, who sits just outside the Oval Office and has access to his Truth Social account — worked inside the White House for more than a year without a security clearance, according to reporting broken by MS NOW on August 19, 2026. The clearance is a routine step every West Wing staffer completes; Harp repeatedly declined to fill out the paperwork after Trump returned to office in January 2025, and her reason for refusing was never made clear. The problem is her access: national security officials noted that her physical proximity to Trump — in both the West Wing and the residence — gives her exposure to more sensitive information than almost any other senior official, and she had it for a year while un-vetted. Concern grew inside the White House counsel's office and among security officials until Trump himself intervened, after which Harp finally submitted the forms, underwent a federal background investigation, and received the clearance in recent months. A former CIA official called the situation "mind-boggling." Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded that Harp "has a security clearance like everyone else" and called her a dedicated team member. The episode fits a documented pattern of the administration treating the national-security vetting system — the safeguard that exists to keep the un-vetted away from classified information — as optional for loyalists: FBI Director Kash Patel similarly granted deputy Dan Bongino a waiver around a key clearance while giving him access to the President's Daily Brief.
A Federal Appeals Court Ordered Trump to Stop Building His Ballroom Until Congress Approves It — So Instead of Asking Congress, His DOJ Ran to the Supreme Court's Shadow Docket to Override the Order, Arguing the Demolition and Construction Can't Wait Because of a "Recent Missile Threat on Air Force One"
On August 7, 2026, a majority of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ordered construction of Trump's roughly $900 million White House ballroom halted unless the administration obtains congressional approval — reaffirming the principle a district judge had already stated in voiding the project earlier: "The President Is Not the Owner." The White House does not belong to the president; he cannot unilaterally demolish and rebuild it, or spend the public's money on it, without Congress. Rather than go to Congress, the administration went to the Supreme Court. On the shadow docket, the Justice Department asked the justices to stay the injunction and let construction continue — and the justification it offered was a "recent missile threat on Air Force One," arguing that the ballroom's hardened, bomb- and missile-resistant construction is too urgent to pause. Chief Justice John Roberts set a deadline for the challengers to respond. The move is the now-familiar pattern: told by a court to stop, the administration neither complies nor persuades Congress but sprints to the Supreme Court to have the check overridden — dressing a vanity building project, whose cost quadrupled to nearly $900 million and whose funds were partly diverted without Congress, in the language of an emergency national-security threat.
The Ballroom Trump Promised Would Cost $200 Million and Be Paid For by Him and Private Donors Has Ballooned to Roughly $900 Million in White House Construction — Now Primarily Billed to Taxpayers, With About $500 Million Reportedly Diverted Without Congress's Approval, After the Historic East Wing Was Demolished to Build It
When Trump announced his White House ballroom in July 2025, the White House said it would cost about $200 million — and that Trump himself and unnamed private donors would pay for it. A Washington Post investigation published August 12, 2026 found the reality: the administration is now set to spend at least $900 million — roughly $927 million — on White House construction, and it is primarily taxpayers, not Trump or donors, footing the bill. The figure covers the roughly 90,000-square-foot ballroom (built where the historic East Wing was demolished), a new South Lawn helipad, and the paving-over of the Rose Garden. The cost has more than quadrupled from the promised $200 million, climbing to $600 million by June 2026 and past $900 million by August. Reporting indicates roughly $500 million in taxpayer funds was diverted to the projects without congressional approval — Congress holds the constitutional power of the purse, and appropriating public money to a president's vanity construction without its sign-off is exactly the kind of end-run that power exists to prevent. Trump defends the ballroom as a secure, modernized venue with bomb shelters and hardened communications. But the through-line is simple: a president promised to build a monument to himself on his own dime, tore down a piece of the People's House to do it, and then sent the public a nine-figure bill it never agreed to pay.
Only 16% of Americans Think a UFC Fight at the White House Is Appropriate — It's Costing $60 Million, Trump Bought the Stock, and They're Selling $12,000 Coins with His Face
A Reuters/Ipsos poll finds only 16% of Americans think Trump's UFC cage match at the White House is appropriate — 46% say it's inappropriate, and only 31% of Republicans support it. The event costs $60 million, requires 494 port-a-potties, a 90-foot lighting rig called "The Claw," and 5,000 seats on the South Lawn. TKO expects to lose $30 million. Trump bought $15,000-$50,000 in TKO stock before promoting the event — the stock rose 8.86% after the announcement. The Trump Organization is selling commemorative coins with Trump's face for up to $11,999.99. A federal lawsuit alleges the event violates park regulations and is "deeply corrupt." The DOJ's response: "No one is holding Plaintiffs in a jiu jitsu lock." UFC — not the White House — controls press credentials. Dana White invited celebrities; most declined. Joe Rogan objected to the outdoor venue. The president turns 80 during a cage fight he's profiting from on the South Lawn of the people's house.
Trump Hijacks America's 250th Birthday, Then Artists Flee — Leaving Him With Vanilla Ice and Milli Vanilli
Trump created "Freedom 250" as a rival to the congressionally established America250 commission for the nation's semiquincentennial. He booked nine artists for a "Great American State Fair" concert series on the National Mall. Five dropped out within 48 hours after discovering they'd been misled about the event being nonpartisan — leaving Vanilla Ice and Milli Vanilli's Fab Morvan. Trump called the departing artists "Third Rate" and "overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring," compared himself to Elvis, declared himself "the Greatest President in History (THE GOAT!)," proposed replacing the concerts with a MAGA rally, and announced he would personally headline the opening ceremony. Freedom 250 has no Congressional authorization, no independent oversight, and doesn't disclose its donors.
TIME: Hegseth Was "Taken Aback" by Iran's Response — Wiles Ordered Aides to Stop Sugarcoating
TIME reveals Hegseth was stunned by Iran's retaliation: "Whoa, we're really in this now." Wiles warned Trump the war threatens Republican midterms. She ordered aides to be "more forthright with the boss" — an admission they'd been telling him what he wanted to hear.
$400M White House Ballroom Halted by Judge: "The President Is Not the Owner"
A federal judge halted Trump's $400M ballroom: "The President is the steward of the White House for future generations. He is not, however, the owner!" The 90,000-sq-ft project — 3x the White House — has fake windows hiding toilets, stairs to nowhere, and 98% public opposition.
MyPillow CEO's LindellTV Given White House and Pentagon Press Access — While Real Journalists Are Evicted
Mike Lindell's conspiracy-promoting LindellTV was given White House press room access and Pentagon press corps credentials — alongside Gateway Pundit and Epoch Times. Meanwhile, AP was banned, photographers were evicted, and the Pentagon closed its Correspondents' Corridor.