It is well known that President Donald Trump travels with a strong team of aides, and three key faces were behind his trip to China this week. Trump arrived in China on May 13 for a high-stakes summit with President Xi Jinping, where the two leaders discussed significant topics including the rise of artificial intelligence, China's ambitions regarding Taiwan, and other matters.
Absent Officials and Their Replacements
Notably, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was absent from this journey as she is on maternity leave after giving birth to her second child, daughter Viviana, on May 1. First Lady Melania Trump also remained in Washington. Instead, Trump was accompanied by several key female staffers: Anna Kelly, Margo Martin, and Natalie Harp.
Anna Kelly: Principal Deputy Press Secretary
Kelly, 29, serves as the White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary and a Special Assistant to the President. Since Leavitt's departure, she has assumed a larger role, including regular television appearances and joining Trump on his trips. During the welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on May 14, she was photographed alongside staff and Lara Trump. Kelly has already appeared on several Trump-friendly news channels such as Fox, Real America's Voice, and One America News to promote the president's agenda. Like her boss Leavitt, she has used the term 'fake news' against reporters online. Kelly is also a former pageant queen, having won the 2019 Miss State Fair of Virginia crown. She has not yet hosted any press conferences; instead, Secretary of State Marco Rubio conducted one on May 5. Leavitt had previously told the Washington Examiner that a rotating cast of Cabinet members and advisers would handle press questions in her absence.
Margo Martin: Special Assistant and Communications Advisor
Martin, 30, was also by Trump's side during the China trip. She was once mistaken for Melania Trump by Fox News in 2023. Her official title is Special Assistant and Communications Advisor to the President, and she is the quiet force behind Trump's social media presence. She captures behind-the-scenes footage during Trump's appearances, adding a 'humanizing' element, such as when he worked at a McDonald's on the campaign trail. Martin has accompanied Trump on nearly all his trips this term, from Mar-a-Lago to the Middle East and now China. The Oklahoma native has been with Trump since his first term, having joined as an advisor from Trump's Save America PAC. She was one of the few staff members to remain beyond his initial tenure and famously gave the final press lid for the Trump administration in 2021.
Natalie Harp: Executive Assistant
Harp, 30, is Trump's executive assistant, having been with him since March 2022. According to a source familiar with the administration's communication strategy, Trump dictates to her, and she handles his posts. She is reportedly one of the only staff members with the password to the president's iPhone. Harp is the go-to for writing copy and making quick posts on Truth Social with Trump's permission. She was seen near the president multiple times during the China trip and attended the state banquet held in his honor.
Trump and his team departed China on Friday. Before boarding Air Force One, the team discarded gifts and items collected during the trip, a standard precaution against listening devices and other intelligence threats. Trump faced criticism throughout the summit for showering personal praise on Xi, the authoritarian leader of America's most formidable rival. In his opening remarks at the Great Hall of the People, Trump called Xi a 'great leader' and said it was an honor to be his friend. He predicted that the US-China relationship would be 'better than ever before.' In a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, Trump also complimented Xi's physical appearance, calling him 'very tall' and claiming Hollywood could not have cast a better-looking leader of China.
