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Reports say aide Natalie Harp is screening calls to Trump’s personal phone

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets, all left-leaning.

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

The Daily Beast, Raw Story, The Independent and The New Republic report that Natalie Harp, an executive assistant to President Donald Trump, appears to have taken control of his personal mobile phone and to be deciding who can reach him. According to The Independent, citing several journalists, calls to the number over the past two days were answered by a young woman who asked who was calling, and a voice on a recorded election-night call sounded like Harp’s. Raw Story and The New Republic repeat that account. The Daily Beast, citing D.C. insiders, reports that Trump has given Harp greater responsibility. The reports are based largely on The Independent’s reporting.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Natalie Harp, described as an executive assistant to Trump, appears to have taken over his personal phone and to be deciding who can reach him, according to The Independent.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story, The New Republic
    Left
    The Independent

  2. Calls to Trump’s personal number over the past two days were answered by a young woman who asked who was calling, according to The Independent, citing several journalists.

    One outletThe New Republic· Far Left

  3. Politico’s Dasha Burns reported that a call to the president during an election-night livestream was answered by a female voice.

    One outletThe New Republic· Far Left

  4. The Independent says a voice on a recorded election-night call sounded like Harp’s, based on a recording of her 2020 Republican National Convention speech.

    One outletThe New Republic· Far Left

  5. The Daily Beast reports, citing D.C. insiders, that Trump has given Harp greater responsibility.

    One outletThe Daily Beast· Far Left

  6. The New Republic says Harp prints out flattering news coverage and positive posts for Trump’s approval before he shares them on social media.

    One outletThe New Republic· Far Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All left-side outlets report that Natalie Harp has taken control of Trump’s personal phone, citing The Independent’s reporting on calls and a recorded voice, and frame it as a sign of Trump’s weakened position after midterm losses.

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Left-side headlines state as fact that Natalie Harp has taken over Trump’s phone, with Far Left outlets using sharper wording such as seized control and midterm drubbing; The Independent instead asks a question.

    Natalie Harp Loaded verb“seized control”The verb implies taking by force, while the article itself says the aide appears to have taken over the phone.More neutral: has taken controlDisagree with this highlight? of Trump’s personal phone after midterm drubbing: report
    Raw StoryFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    No coverage yet

    No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left10

    boastedbrutal midterm nightbraggedseized control

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    boastedMore neutral: said

    The verb characterises the White House’s statements as boasting rather than stating what it said.

    For months, the White House has boasted of Trump’s accessibility to reporters and pointed to the fact that numerous members…

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Sensational language

    brutal midterm nightMore neutral: midterm election night

    The adjective adds a judgement about the election night beyond the reported results.

    …closest aides appears to have taken on a powerful new role after Republicans' brutal midterm night .

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    braggedMore neutral: said

    The verb characterises the White House’s statements as boasting rather than stating what it said.

    For months, the White House has bragged about how easy it is for reporters to reach Trump, with members of the press corps…

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    seized controlMore neutral: has taken control

    The verb implies taking by force, while the article itself says the aide appears to have taken over the phone.

    Natalie Harp seized control of Trump’s personal phone after midterm drubbing: report

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

Show 6 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Vague attribution

    D.C. insidersMore neutral: people the outlet describes as familiar with the matter

    The central claim is assigned to unnamed people, so readers cannot judge the source.

    …Donald Trump has given his devoted aide the ultimate responsibility, according to D.C. insiders.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    fawning lettersMore neutral: letters to the president

    The word fawning judges the tone of the letters rather than describing their content.

    …has earned a reputation as Trump’s most ardent loyalist, helped in part by her fawning letters to the president, which the Daily Beast exposed in full .

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    notoriously thin-skinnedMore neutral: who often reacts strongly to criticism

    The label presents a personality judgement about the president as settled fact.

    …and social media posts, whilst rejecting the material that might send the notoriously thin-skinned president into a meltdown.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    into a meltdownMore neutral: react angrily

    The phrase dramatises an unspecified reaction and adds judgement.

    …rejecting the material that might send the notoriously thin-skinned president into a meltdown.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    everything crumbles around himMore neutral: as midterm results came in

    The phrase makes a dramatic judgement about the president’s situation that the reported facts about phone calls do not establish.

    …Harp appears to have taken control of the president’s cellphone as everything crumbles around him.

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    interceptedMore neutral: answered

    The verb implies the calls were wrongfully blocked, which the reported facts do not establish.

    …contact Trump at his personal phone number as midterm results were rolling in was intercepted by a young woman.

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

4 outlets

Leads with

  • Harp’s closeness to Trump
  • Gatekeeping of his phone
  • Midterm losses as backdrop
See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The New RepublicFar Left

    Trump’s Favorite Aide Has Taken Control of His Personal Cell Phone

    Donald Trump’s favorite aide Natalie Harp appears to have taken control of the president’s cellphone as Sensational language“everything crumbles around him”The phrase makes a dramatic judgement about the president’s situation that the reported facts about phone calls do not establish.More neutral: as midterm results came inDisagree with this highlight?. The Independent reported Wednesday that their attempt to contact Trump at his personal phone number as midterm results were rolling in was …

    Read at The New Republic (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Trump Hands Natalie Harp New Deeply Personal Role

    President Donald Trump has given his devoted aide the ultimate responsibility, according to Vague attribution“D.C. insiders”The central claim is assigned to unnamed people, so readers cannot judge the source.More neutral: people the outlet describes as familiar with the matterDisagree with this highlight?. Natalie Harp, 35, has earned a reputation as Trump’s most ardent loyalist, helped in part by her Loaded modifier“fawning letters”The word fawning judges the tone of the letters rather than describing their content.More neutral: letters to the presidentDisagree with this highlight? to the president, which the Daily Beast exposed in full .

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • Raw StoryFar Left

    Natalie Harp Loaded verb“seized control”The verb implies taking by force, while the article itself says the aide appears to have taken over the phone.More neutral: has taken controlDisagree with this highlight? of Trump’s personal phone after midterm drubbing: report

    One of President Donald Trump's closest aides appears to have taken on a powerful new role after Republicans' Sensational language“brutal midterm night”The adjective adds a judgement about the election night beyond the reported results.More neutral: midterm election nightDisagree with this highlight? . Executive assistant Natalie Harp seems to have taken over the president's personal cellphone and is now deciding who gets to speak with him, The …

    Read at Raw Story (opens in a new tab)
  • The IndependentLeft

    Are Trump’s phone calls now being screened by his constant companion Natalie Harp?

    Trump’s ever-present aide appears to be deciding who Trump can speak to

    Read at The Independent (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    The Independent, Nov 4, 5:48 PM EST

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The IndependentLeftNov 4, 5:48 PM EST
  2. Raw StoryFar LeftNov 4, 9:31 PM EST
  3. The Daily BeastFar LeftNov 5, 7:31 AM EST
  4. The New RepublicFar LeftNov 5, 9:56 AM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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