Donald Trump’s adoring aide accompanied him to his latest MAGA spectacle in Washington amid heightened scrutiny of her close relationship with the president.
Natalie Harp, 35, joined the 80-year-old president at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, as did Trump’s wife, First Lady Melania Trump. Harp was seen chatting it up with Trump’s son, Eric.
At the same time, Melania, 56, was seen posing for pictures with Trump and riding in the presidential motorcade as Trump rode around on the track.
The first lady’s appearance at the event is something of a rarity, as it marks just the 40th time she has been seen in public this year.
Melania skipped out on attending high-profile events in the nation’s capital with her husband over the last month, including the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner on July 24 and the funeral of his personal friend and political ally Sen. Lindsey Graham on July 28.
Melania has reportedly been irked by Harp’s constant presence around Trump taking center stage in recent weeks.
Harp, a former right-wing television anchor who makes $150,000 annually as Trump’s executive assistant, had been working at the White House for more than a year without completing the routine security-clearance process, raising serious national security concerns. MS Now reported that the president himself had to intervene for Harp to finally begin the process.
The concerns had been heightened by Harp’s presence during sensitive travel, including a recent security hiccup in Turkey, when she was among the small group of aides who joined Trump as he escaped Air Force One to avoid an apparent Iranian threat.
Harp, who has been accused of having an “unhealthy” relationship with Trump, is known for leaving the president fawning letters, two of which the Daily Beast published in full on Thursday, revealing Harp’s utter devotion to her boss.
“You are all that matters to me,” Harp wrote to Trump while accompanying him on an overseas golf trip in 2023 as she thanked him for being her “Guardian and Protector in this Life.”
The letter explained that while she was in Trump’s presence on the trip, she even forgot to perform basic necessities.
“I want things to always be right between us. I also know I’ve been distracted all week (forgetting to eat throughout the days, and even forgetting to sleep, and only catching a couple hours at a time),” she wrote to Trump at the time.
She shared that she was letting other people’s remarks upset her, “not because I care what other people think, but because I see myself being lowered in your eyes and good opinion. That is the fear you see, because I never want to bring you anything but joy.”
