President Donald Trump posted a photo of himself alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping — and the only other person in the frame was Natalie Harp, his executive assistant who has long courted scrutiny.
Missing from the photo was Trump’s own wife, Melania, who was present for the welcome.
Posted Thursday to Truth Social, the image depicts Trump and Xi observing a military flyover at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. The Chinese leader is in the U.S. for a high-stakes summit with the Republican president this week.
In the photo, which is emblazoned with the words “Only Trump,” the leaders can be seen standing on a red carpet while a B-1 bomber flies overhead. Just off to Trump’s left and a few feet behind him, Harp is observed with a hand over her heart. No other administration officials are pictured.
In an unusual move, Trump and the first lady went to meet Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where their plane had landed on Wednesday afternoon. Neither Melania Trump nor Peng Liyuan are pictured in the image that Trump published.
A former television presenter, Harp has attracted considerable attention in recent months over what some observers describe as her intense devotion to Trump and her expansive influence within his inner circle.
She once left Trump adoring letters, including one that said: “You are all that matters to me,” The New York Times reported. Her estranged brother has described her relationship with Trump as “very unhealthy.”
Maggie Haberman, a Times reporter who recently co-authored a book about Trump’s return to office, has likewise portrayed Harp as an influential gatekeeper who relays information to the president outside formal channels.
“She is in almost every single — I mean, really I’m not kidding — almost every single meeting,” Haberman previously told MS NOW.
One of her main duties, according to Haberman, is to provide Trump with news stories and fodder for his Truth Social feed. She also carries a portable printer so that she can print out articles and social media messages for the 80-year-old president to read, earning her the nickname the “human printer.”
The 35-year-old executive assistant has accompanied the president on numerous trips, including golf outings and his state visit to China in May. She was also reportedly among a small group of staffers who accompanied Trump aboard a military aircraft departing Turkey in July amid concerns about a potential Iranian attack.
Harp drew further scrutiny after MS NOW reported in August that she repeatedly declined to obtain security clearance during a period of more than a year while working at the White House. At the time, a White House spokesperson said: “Harp has a security clearance like everyone else.”
This week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s abrupt decision to ban three media outlets — CNN, Politico and MS NOW — from the White House came hours after Harp showed him clips of MS NOW hosts criticizing his administration.
Trump allies and White House officials have repeatedly defended Harp, casting her as a loyal and trustworthy aide.
“She is a smart, talented person who wants to serve her country and the president,” CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings said in August.
“Natalie Harp is a beloved White House Official, and the Fake News Media will never understand what it’s like to be as trusted and admired as her,” a White House spokesperson previously told The Independent.
