Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
US President Donald Trump rarely travels alone. But in his White House, who gets to travel with him can reveal who is closest to his inner circle. When he was quietly moved off Air Force One during a security scare in Turkey, only a handful of people went with him. Among them was Natalie Harp.
The little-known Trump’s executive assistant is at the centre of a fresh row, after a Democratic senator questioned Trump’s decision to take her along during the sensitive operation. Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia has dragged Trump’s relationship with Harp into a row, questioning why she was among the small group of aides chosen to accompany the US President during a secretive security operation after the NATO summit in Turkey. Ossoff’s remarks came amid renewed scrutiny of Harp’s unusually close access to Trump, including claims and speculation about the nature of their relationship that have circulated in US media.
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The row has also brought attention to Harp herself, including her unusual journey into Trump’s inner circle and comments from her estranged brother, Preston Harp, who has described her relationship with the US President as “very unhealthy”.
HOW HARP BECAME PART OF TRUMP’S INNER CIRCLE
Harp first came into the national spotlight in 2019, but she had already built a career outside politics. A California native, she graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2012 and earned an MBA from Liberty University in 2015. Before entering Trump’s inner orbit, she was working as an entrepreneur and had become an outspoken critic of the US healthcare system after a medical error in 2015 left her dealing with serious health complications.
However, her public profile changed in June 2019, when she appeared on Fox & Friends and credited Trump’s Right to Try law with helping her access treatment during her battle with stage II bone cancer. The appearance caught Trump’s attention and quickly brought her into his political orbit.
For Harp, the issue was deeply personal. She had battled stage II bone cancer and said she felt abandoned by both the political and medical establishments. At a Washington conference, she credited Trump with helping people like her and portrayed him as a champion of patients who had been left behind.
“He gave up his quality of life so we could live and work and fight with dignity – because he believes in survival of the fighters, not the fittest,” she said.
Trump later invited Harp to speak at the 2020 Republican National Convention. Standing on the national stage, she again credited Trump and his healthcare policy with helping save her life.
“I wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for you,” Harp said. The appearance cemented her image as a devoted Trump supporter.
Her path to the White House, however, did not happen overnight.
Harp later hosted a programme on the conservative One America News Network before joining Trump’s political operation in 2022. She eventually became part of the US President’s staff and developed a reputation for being one of the aides who was almost always nearby.
HOW SHE EARNED THE NAME ‘HUMAN PRINTER’
Harp’s role around Trump is not limited to attending meetings or travelling with him. One of her most unusual responsibilities involves making sure the US President has material in front of him when he wants it.
According to several reports, Harp has carried a laptop and, at times, a printer so she can physically print out articles and other material for Trump to read.
That earned her the nickname “the human printer”.
Her role reportedly goes beyond the usual duties of a White House aide.
Harp is said to help manage the stream of content that reaches Trump’s Truth Social account, gathering posts and material from his allies and supporters, including praise for the US President and attacks on his political opponents. She then presents the material to Trump for approval.
Once he gives the go-ahead, she publishes the posts through his account.
The process can happen at unusual hours, including late at night, during weekends and on holidays.
The role has made Harp an important link between Trump and the social media platform that has been at the very centre of his political messaging.
“She keeps everybody in a really good mood, and most importantly, she keeps the president in a really good mood,” former Trump physician and Representative Ronny Jackson said of Harp in 2024.
That description captures something important about her position. Harp is not simply someone who works for Trump. She is someone who has built a reputation for knowing how Trump likes to work and what he wants around him.
HER BROTHER QUESTIONS THE RELATIONSHIP
That closeness has not gone unnoticed by Harp’s family.
Her estranged brother, Preston Harp, has been openly critical of her loyalty to Trump and has questioned why she would want to work so closely with him. In an interview with The Daily Mail in June, he described the relationship as “very unhealthy”.
“She’s just like his fan club,” Preston said. He also called Trump a “national embarrassment”.
Preston said he was surprised to discover that his sister was working for Trump after coming across a 2023 news report about the US President’s assistant.
“I don’t understand why my sister, or anyone could want to work for Trump,” he said. He later offered his own explanation for his sister’s devotion to the president.
Speaking to The Daily Beast in July, Preston said he believed Harp viewed Trump as a kind of father figure.
“I think that she does see Trump as a kind of father figure because he embodies the doctrine of American exceptionalism,” he said.
THE TURKEY FLIGHT THAT CHANGED THE SPOTLIGHT
Harp’s unusual level of access to Trump came under fresh scrutiny after a secretive flight following the Nato summit in Turkey. Trump was moved from Air Force One to a smaller aircraft after US officials feared a possible Iranian threat. Harp was among only a handful of people chosen to accompany the US President. The group reportedly included Harp, Walt Nauta and Dan Scavino.
The arrangement drew attention because other staff members and journalists were left behind on a decoy Air Force One. The unusual operation raised questions about why those three aides were selected to remain with Trump.
According to The New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, the answer in Harp’s case was her unusually close relationship with the president.
“Natalie Harp, because she is sort of his Binkie, for lack of a better way of putting it — his comfort blanket,” Haberman said during an appearance on MSNOW.
The description immediately gave Harp another nickname. Now she was being described as Trump’s “comfort blanket”.
The choice of Nauta and Scavino was less surprising. Both have worked with Trump for years.
OSSOFF TAKES AIM AT HARP
That proximity became a political issue when Ossoff brought Harp into his criticism of Trump.
At a rally on Sunday, the Democratic senator attacked Trump over his handling of the Iran war, his conduct in office and plans for a new White House ballroom.
Ossoff also questioned Trump’s decision to travel with Harp.
“While the sailors on the (USS Abraham Lincoln) fight his war, while he fruitlessly drains our munitions and oil reserves, the president sleeps through his meetings, he golfs, and trades stocks,” Ossoff told the crowd.
“He doesn”t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace, gifted by the emir of Qatar.”
The remarks immediately put Harp back into the political spotlight.
Trump responded on Monday.
“You mean Pee-Wee Herman? Pee-Wee Herman lookalike,” Trump said when asked about Ossoff’s comments.
Trump then shifted the conversation towards the White House, defending his plans to build a ballroom and arguing that the building had been neglected for years. He also discussed a proposed underground military facility and a drone port that he said could help protect the White House and Washington.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
