Some footage from the Freedom 250 Grand Prix shared on the White House social media accounts omitted Harp despite her sitting close behind the first couple
Credit: Doug MILLS / POOL / AFP via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Natalie Harp was standing near President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, though multiple videos shared by the White House social media pages cropped her out
- Harp’s close relationship with Trump has drawn scrutiny in recent weeks
- Leaked personal letters allegedly written by Harp to the president revealed a deep devotion to her boss
Natalie Harp was once again close to President Donald Trump at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix on Sunday, Aug. 23, but her presence was noticeably downplayed in the White House’s social media coverage of the event.
Harp was clearly visible in broadcast footage from the race, appearing among Trump’s guests in the president’s suite. At one point, she could be seen standing behind and just to the right of Trump, 80, and first lady Melania Trump.
Her appearance was less obvious in some official footage. On the White House’s Instagram, a clip was shared of the tightly cropped president waving the starting flag for the IndyCar race, showing little context of the people around him.
In a wider frame shared on X, Harp is more notably omitted — he and Melania are visible, but Harp is not. The frame was clipped in a way that trimmed part of the Fox Sports logo and much of Melania’s arm out; in the uncropped version of the Fox broadcast, Harp was visible just over Melania’s shoulder.
When someone says Trust in Trump pic.twitter.com/lqQE8jbY8O
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 23, 2026
Credit: Doug Mills – Pool/Getty
The attention surrounding Harp comes as scrutiny of her notably close relationship with Trump has intensified in recent weeks. The aide has become a fixture of the president’s inner circle, traveling with him frequently and playing a role in managing his schedule, access and social media presence.
New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman, 52, compared Harp to a “binky” for Trump while discussing her omnipresence.
Haberman made the remark during an Aug. 16 appearance on MS NOW as she discussed the aides who accompanied Trump on a private flight during his return from Turkey in July. Among those aboard were Harp, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Oval Office operations director Walt Nauta.
“I can guess why Natalie Harp and Walt Nauta and Dan Scavino were with him,” Haberman said. “Natalie Harp, because she is sort of his binky, for lack of a better way of putting it, a comfort blanket.”
Two alleged letters recently published by The Daily Beast and author Michael Wolff from Harp to Trump offered a glimpse into the deeply personal nature of her relationship with him. In the letters, which were reportedly written in 2023, Harp repeatedly apologized for moments when she believed she had caused Trump frustration or embarrassment.
In one of the letters allegedly written by Harp, she appeared particularly concerned about an incident in Scotland in which she was reportedly seen running behind Trump’s golf cart caravan. “If there is anything else I have done to cause you trouble, please forgive me,” she allegedly wrote.
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The letters also expressed an intense level of devotion to Trump. “You are all that matters to me. I don’t want to ever let you down,” Harp allegedly wrote, while thanking him for being her “Guardian and Protector in this Life.”
She first caught the GOP president’s attention in 2019 after publicly crediting legislation backed by Trump during his first term with helping her gain access to an experimental treatment for bone cancer. She later described the illness as “rare and terminal” in a speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
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