Aide Reportedly Jumped Into SUV Trunk to Follow Trump.
Natalie Harp, a 35-year-old executive assistant to President Trump, climbed into the trunk of an SUV in October 2023 after staffers told her there was no room in the motorcade. Two sources and a photograph confirmed the account to CNN.
- 2022 was when Harp joined Trump's staff, after crediting him with saving her life during a cancer diagnosis.
- Aides dubbed her the 'human printer' for giving Trump printouts of social media posts and news articles.
- She is one of a small group who switched planes with Trump in Turkey amid a reported Iranian threat.
- She reportedly told other staffers she answers only to Trump, not to the White House chain of command.
Why it matters: Harp controls a significant share of the information Trump receives daily and holds access that surpasses some senior officials, multiple sources said. Her role became a flash point after Sen. Ossoff named her in a campaign speech Sunday.
- One White House adviser told CNN Trump 'likes the attention and the fact that she is 100% committed and loyal' and that she does not question him.
- One person familiar with the matter described their relationship as 'father-daughter'; her estranged brother Preston Harp called it 'very unhealthy' and 'obsession.'
How 38 sources split on this story
Where they split: The core dispute is whether Harp's access represents loyal, effective service or an unhealthy dynamic that limits what information reaches the president.
Left coverage, 22 sources: The left frames Harp's role as evidence that Trump operates inside an information bubble managed by loyalists who shield him from dissent, making her access a governance concern rather than just a personnel curiosity.
Right coverage, 5 sources: The right frames the story as Democratic and media attacks on a dedicated staffer, portraying Ossoff's comments as a sexist cheap shot and the White House backlash as justified defense of a hardworking aide.
What’s next: White House spokesman Davis Ingle defended Harp as 'one of the most loyal and hardest working aides' on Trump's team.
- Ossoff told MSNBC he considers Harp one of Trump's 'enablers' who tells him 'what he wants to hear.'
- Semafor reported that some Trump aides privately consider Ossoff's comments a 'cheap shot' and are worried about upsetting the first lady.
- Whether scrutiny of Harp's role will prompt any change in her access or standing within the White House.
- What the photograph CNN obtained of the trunk incident shows beyond what sources described.
