President Donald Trump had his favorite aide, Natalie Harp, by his side as he took off from his new helipad after his ribbon-cutting ceremony turned into a farce because of his media ban.
The 80-year-old president showed off his new $13 million helicopter landing pad on the White House South Lawn on Monday, but all major TV networks skipped the event in protest of his ban on CNN, Politico, and MS NOW—a move stoked in part by Harp, 35.
NBC, ABC, CBS, and even the Trump-friendly Fox News collectively agreed to skip the president’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, leaving his remarks inaudible.
The White House broadcast the ceremony on YouTube, but the livestream carried no usable audio, with the president’s voice drowned out by Marine One on the new helipad in the background.
Trump delivered his inaudible remarks before taking oversized gold scissors to the red, white, and blue ribbon. He then waved toward the camera, walked down the path to the landing pad, and climbed aboard Marine One.
Shortly afterward, Harp made her way to the helipad and climbed aboard Marine One through the rear of the helicopter. Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles; deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller; and communications adviser, Margo Martin, also boarded the helicopter for what Trump called its “maiden voyage” from the helipad.
The presidential entourage flew to Joint Base Andrews before boarding Air Force One bound for New York City, where Trump is set to attend the United Nations General Assembly beginning Tuesday.
Harp, the president’s executive assistant, has become a near-constant presence at his side, joining him for a Friday trip to Camp David before traveling back with the president late Saturday.
Their relationship has drawn intense scrutiny, particularly after the Daily Beast published, in full, intimate letters Harp wrote him in 2023, in which she professed her utter devotion to him while unburdening herself about her deepest emotions and personal troubles.
Harp’s ever-present role at Trump’s side has taken on a troubling new dimension amid revelations that she acts as a gatekeeper to the elderly president, printing out articles for him to read and social media posts for him to share online.
On Sunday, it emerged that Harp played a critical role in Trump’s meltdown that saw him abruptly ban CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House.
Sources familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal that Harp had specifically played Trump clips of anchors on MS NOW “criticizing his administration” just hours before he erupted on Truth Social, claiming the outlets had reported, “FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States.”
The three banned outlets filed a lawsuit against Trump, Wiles, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, and Secret Service Director Sean Curran on Monday over the revocation of their access.
