Senator's insult puts Trump's 'human printer' in the headlines

Officially, Natalie Harp has two job titles: "executive assistant" and "special assistant" to the US president.But in some Washington circles, she is less kindly known as Donald Trump's "human printer".Harp was given the nickname for her unique role in Trump's 2024 election campaign entourage, where she was often seen carrying a printer as she followed Trump on the trail.She is known to use the portable device to print flattering social media posts and positive news articles about Trump, and bring them to his attention throughout the day.But she has now found herself at the centre of some unwelcome attention. That's largely thanks to Democratic senator Jon Ossoff, who mentioned Harp as he criticised Trump at a recent rally.Ossoff said:"He doesn't want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenceless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar."It followed revelations Harp had accompanied Trump on his recent covert plane switch, when he secretly climbed out of Air Force One after an alleged missile threat from Iran.Ossoff's comment went viral. It provoked outrage from many Americans on the right, who accused Ossoff of suggesting Trump and Harp had an inappropriate relationship.Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna called Ossoff a "sexist arrogant jerk" who was "spreading a rude, disgusting rumour".Conservative broadcaster Megyn Kelly said it was a "despicable attack" that "basically suggests she's a cheating slut"."Why would you attack a 35-year-old cancer survivor as a possible affair partner to the president of the United States when you have absolutely nothing to back that up?" Kelly said on her show.'Lit up the television'Public accounts of Harp's rise suggest she was discovered by Trump when she was a guest on Fox News in 2019.Harp credited Trump with saving her life after he signed a law that, she said, helped her access experimental cancer treatment."She lit up the television screen like very few people I've ever seen do it," Trump told a religious Republican convention later that year. Harp appeared onstage alongside him and said he was her "good Samaritan"."Forgotten America will never forget how you saw us on the side of the road, and you walked over, and you picked us up, and you made us great again," she told him.Natalie Harp is frequently seen by Donald Trump's side in settings ranging from the White House to the golf course. (Reuters: Ken Cedeno)She then spent a couple of years working for the right-wing One America News Network before becoming an assistant to Trump in 2022.She was back in the news in 2024, after The New York Times reported on devotional letters she had written to Trump a year earlier."You are all that matters to me," she wrote in one, in which she thanked Trump for being her "Guardian and Protector in this Life"."I want to bring you joy," she wrote in another. "To feel like we can get through a day without ever having to talk 'work.'"This week, her estranged brother Preston Harp gave an interview to CNN, in which he said they had both been raised "with the idea of American exceptionalism"."Trump is like everything that my mum taught us to respect, so I think that's where her infatuation with Trump comes from," he said.Later in the interview, he said:"Since she was like 16 she's had an obsession with — gosh, how do I explain this? She's written letters to other presidents, let me put it that way."He added she had written to George W Bush during the Iraq War.Personal insultsThe White House reacted to Ossoff's comments, and the subsequent public discussion about Harp, with anger.Communications director Steven Cheung responded to a video of Ossoff's comments on X and said: "Instead of denigrating hardworking people serving their country, Jon should look deep into his soul and ask himself why he's a miserable person who hates this country."In later statements, the White House defended Harp as "one of the most loyal and hardest working aides on President Trump's team".When Trump was asked about Ossoff's comment this week, he initially answered with an insult for Ossoff, calling him a "Pee-wee Herman lookalike".Later in the press conference, Trump attacked the reporter, CNN's Kristen Holmes, as she tried to ask another question. "You're a loud, boisterous person. You're fake news. Be quiet."A White House X account took it further, tweeting a string of insults alongside a video of Holmes's question. A follow-up post got even more personal, suggesting Holmes's children would one day "be sickened and embarrassed to have a parent be so callous and vindictive".CNN's interview with Harp's brother generated even more furore among Trump's circles. "What absolute trash," Trump's son Eric wrote on X."Natalie is an incredible young woman … from the looks of it, she got all the family genetics."'Bubble of West Wing aides'After clips of Ossoff's comments began to spread, he appeared on cable network MS NOW, where he was asked why he had singled out Harp.Ossoff, who is campaigning for re-election at the November midterms, said he was making a broader point about Trump's White House being "full of sycophants who tell him what he wants to hear"."He retreats into this bubble of West Wing aides who are his security blanket to make him feel good about himself, to reassure him that he's doing a great job," Ossoff said.But Harp may have some detractors among those staff. Many of the reported details about her personal communication with Trump appear to be the product of White House leaks."Make no mistake, the nasty stories you're seeing about Natalie Harp that are being posted are coming from inside the West Wing," MAGA influencer and Trump ally Laura Loomer posted on X today."A lot of the people who work for President Trump suffer from major professional jealousy and they are very bothered by loyalty."