Natalie Harp Reportedly Jumped Into SUV Trunk to Follow Trump After ‘Screaming Match’

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

President Donald Trump’s top aide Natalie Harp once jumped into the trunk of an SUV after a “screaming match” with staffers who told her there was no room for her in the motorcade, according to a new CNN report.

CNN’s Kristen Holmes and Adam Cancryn reported Tuesday on Harp’s position in Trump’s inner circle as executive assistant, including the previously unreported incident from October 2023.

Trump was preparing to leave Trump Tower for a New York City courthouse when aides allegedly informed Harp that there was no seat available for her. Harp insisted Trump had personally asked her to come along, prompting a “screaming match” in the lobby, two sources told the network.

Rather than stay behind, Harp climbed into the trunk of an SUV, CNN reported, citing the two sources and a photo.

CNN reported that Harp’s presence has at times annoyed senior Trump aides, particularly when advisers have sought private meetings with the president only to find Harp in the room as well. One source told the outlet that Harp has closely guarded her access to Trump and has told colleagues that she reports only to the president, frustrating staffers operating within the traditional White House chain of command.

The report noted that those tensions have previously led some aides to try to limit Harp’s access to Trump, though such efforts have apparently done little to diminish her standing. One White House official pushed back on the complaints, though, telling CNN that Harp works well with most colleagues and regularly coordinates with staff on statements and other information.

The report also detailed how Harp’s standing with Trump may have insulated her from blame following controversies. After Trump posted and later deleted a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes earlier this year, allies and advisers privately suspected Harp was behind the post, according to CNN. But one source said they were hesitant to publicly blame Harp out of concern that doing so would only cause Trump to become more protective of her.

Harp has made headlines this week after Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) said during a Sunday campaign rally, “[Trump] doesn’t want to do the job; he wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie to their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar.”

Not to mention, Trump repeatedly scolded Holmes, one of the journalists behind this CNN report, in the Oval Office on Monday, leading to an extraordinary online attack from the White House invoking the reporter’s children.

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