By Team Zeteo
Photos: Wikimedia Commons
Over the weekend, Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff lambasted Donald Trump’s handling of the country by name-dropping one of his closest aides, Natalie Harp, in this provocative way: “He [Donald Trump] wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar.”
Travel with Natalie? Ossoff’s comment, which spread like wildfire online, lit a fire under questions like who is Natalie Harp, what is the nature of her relationship with the president, and how did the two become so weirdly close. We’re here to answer those questions, and also the ones you didn’t think to ask.
Here are seven things you need to know about the woman that New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman has referred to as Trump’s human “binkie.”
1. She Snuck onto the Catering Truck With Trump
When Trump secretly switched planes in Turkey last month, in response to what the administration claimed was an assassination threat from Iran, the president left behind key allies like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
But among those Trump didn’t leave behind to serve as a human shield on a decoy plane was Harp, who snuck out of Air Force One on an airport catering truck with the president and two other close personal aides.
2. ‘She’ll Never Leave Me,’ Trump Bragged
Trump, who uses a French pronunciation to refer to her as “Nathalie,” said she was the only person who loved him as much as his wife and children, according to Haberman and fellow Times reporter Jonathan Swan in their recent book, ‘Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump.’
“All of you will go off and make money,” Trump reportedly told staff. “She’ll never leave me.”
3. A Curious Encounter With Melania
In the book ‘Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power,’ author Alex Isenstadt describes Harp as someone who “didn’t do well with boundaries.”
According to Isenstadt, at one point, Melania “stumbled upon Harp late at night in Trump’s private quarters at Mar-a-Lago, an area that was typically off-limits to those outside Trump’s family.” Isenstadt also reports that Harp reacted badly during the 2024 election when Trump switched planes to avoid another supposed assassination threat but that time did not take Harp with him.
4. ‘You Are All That Matters to Me,’ Harp Told Trump in Adoring Letter
Per Haberman and Swan, Harp would leave adoring letters in Trump’s personal spaces, leading his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, to wonder, “Where am I?” One of Harp’s letters to the U.S. president read, “You are all that matters to me.”
Swan told Zeteo last month that the closeness of the pair raised alarm bells among the Secret Service, but noted that he didn’t have evidence of Trump writing any letters to Harp. Zeteo’s senior political correspondent, Asawin Suebsaeng, says many Trump advisers and government officials are “weirded out” by the president’s closeness with Harp, and “how cultishly devoted she is to him in a manner that goes far beyond the median Trump cultists in government.”
5. She’s Known as Trump’s ‘Human Printer’
Harp feeds Trump positive news stories and social media comments, which she often reads aloud and then follows with a version from a portable printer.
Swan and Haberman tell the story of a meeting between Trump and his economic team to determine his tariff strategy, where Trump refused to believe the data they provided for India and China. Instead, Trump turned to his “human printer” and told her, “Do your Google, do your computer thing, and give me the real numbers.” Think of her as a rich white man’s not-very-good human ChatGPT.
6. Her Own Brother Called Her Relationship With Trump ‘Very Unhealthy’
Preston Harp, Natalie’s estranged brother who lives in Central America, told the Daily Mail his sister’s relationship with the president is “very unhealthy,” and said that she’s “just like his fan club.” Preston, who was also raised by a conservative mother who remains close to his estranged sister, says he has no plans to reconnect. “It’s hard to believe that’s my sister and my mom,” he says.
7. From Cable News to Trump’s Side
It’s no secret Trump loves right-wing TV hosts. And guess what? Harp used to work for the far-right One American News Network, where she often lavishly praised Trump on her ironically titled show, ‘The Real Story.’
In 2020, Harp spoke at the Republican National Convention. Comparing the president to George Bailey, the character played by Jimmy Stewart in ‘It’s A Wonderful Life,’ she also claimed she “wouldn’t be alive today” if it wasn’t for Trump, crediting his “Right to Try” law with saving her life when she had bone cancer.
Zeteo’s Mohammed Abdelbary and Stephen Wentzell contributed to this piece.
