2023 年 10 月，唐纳德・特朗普原定前往纽约一家法院，应对新一轮法律纠纷。车队在特朗普大厦外等候时，工作人员遇上一个棘手难题：没有多余座位留给哈普。这位忠诚度极高的助理，凭借对特朗普的倾力追随，迅速跻身其核心圈子。
两名知情人士向 CNN 透露，大厅内爆发激烈争吵，哈普坚称是特朗普本人要求她出席本次庭审。没有分到座位，但她不愿被落下，最终钻进一辆多功能越野车的后备箱。CNN 获取的一张照片证实了这一情况。
这则此前从未公开的事件，集中体现了哈普近年的角色：时刻陪伴在特朗普身边，全心全意追随。多名消息人士称，她的行事方式惹恼不少资深幕僚，有人曾试图将她排除在总统核心圈层之外。
哈普曾是右翼电视台主持人，她将自己得以幸存归功于特朗普，之后进入其团队工作。如今她成为特朗普对外沟通的重要渠道，传递盟友信息、安排会面、草拟真相社交平台推文，随身携带正面报道打印件，全天候贴身陪同。
一名白宫顾问告诉 CNN：“特朗普喜欢被重视，欣赏她百分百投入、绝对忠诚。她从不质疑，不擅自揣测。”
本周，民主党参议员乔恩・奥索夫在一段广为传播的演讲中点名哈普，抨击特朗普，让两人的关系再度受到审视。这位佐治亚州参议员指责特朗普 “和娜塔莉乘坐卡塔尔埃米尔赠送、防护薄弱的空中宫殿四处出行”，指的就是今年 7 月，因伊朗威胁，特朗普秘密换乘小型军机撤离土耳其时，哈普作为少数随行人员一同登机。
这番言论引来白宫强烈不满，多次嘲讽奥索夫，相关话题也在网络上广泛传播。
自 2022 年加入团队后，哈普在特朗普阵营快速崛起，核心原因就是她极致的效忠。虽然在特朗普竞选团队没有正式头衔，她却跟着特朗普辗转全美，频繁递上正面新闻、社交文案与各类信函，盟友戏称她为 “人体打印机”。
一名共和党议员举例，足以说明哈普对特朗普而言不可或缺：他们偶尔直接联系总统，但一定会确保哈普知情。
这名消息人士称：“她总会回复。我不知道她如何处理这么多事务。除了转达信息，她还常常代表总统，亲自给议员寄送文章与便条。”
多名消息人士表示，跟随特朗普入驻白宫后，哈普几乎无处不在。CNN 查阅椭圆形办公室签署文件、各类活动视频，经常能看到她站在房间外围，随总统发言一同微笑、点头。特朗普赶赴造势集会时，她也常常是少数随行助理之一。
特朗普曾和盟友感慨：“娜塔莉做事效率很高。” 只要交代她查找、打印材料，她总能迅速完成。
但这份如影随形的陪伴，有时在白宫内部引发不满。有知情人士透露，部分顾问希望与总统单独会谈，结果发现哈普也在场。还有消息称，现年 35 岁的哈普十分看重自己和特朗普的相处空间，对外宣称只向总统一人汇报，这让身处白宫层级体系内的其他工作人员颇为反感。
一名白宫官员淡化相关抱怨，称哈普能和大部分同事良好协作，共同撰写声明，及时推送重要信息给相关负责人。
白宫发言人戴维斯・英格尔周二发表声明，力挺哈普：“她是特朗普团队中最忠诚、最勤勉的助理之一。”
其他接近白宫的人士批评奥索夫点名哈普，认为这番话暗含不实揣测。哈普本身选民认知度很低，从未主动引来这类舆论关注。知情人士称，哈普与特朗普是 “父女般的关系”。
即便不少人长期以来对哈普在西翼拥有特殊影响力心存戒备，外界普遍认为，本次舆论热议并不会动摇她的地位，尤其是在特朗普心中的分量。
今年早些时候，特朗普发布又删除一条带有种族歧视色彩的视频，内容将前总统奥巴马与前第一夫人米歇尔・奥巴马刻画成丛林中的猿猴。这条深夜发布的帖子引发跨党派批评，带来一连串负面舆论，迫使特朗普及其幕僚紧急应对。
在特朗普的核心圈子里，盟友与顾问私下猜测发帖人是哈普，因为少数几名助理有权登录特朗普的真相社交账号。
但消息人士告诉 CNN，众人不愿公开指认她，担心一旦挑明，反而会让特朗普更加信任和支持哈普。
Meet Natalie Harp， the aide so close to Trump she once rode in an SUV trunk to accompany him
It was October 2023， and Donald Trump was due at a New York City courthouse to fight his latest set of legal troubles． But as the motorcade idled outside his Trump Tower residence， staffers confronted a more immediate problem： There wasn’t room for Harp， the hyper－loyal aide whose devotion to Trump had quickly entrenched her within his orbit．
A screaming match in the lobby ensued， with Harp insisting that Trump had personally asked her to attend the court appearance， two sources familiar with the matter told CNN． Denied a seat but determined not to be left behind， Harp jumped into an SUV trunk， according to the two sources and confirmed by a photo obtained by CNN．
The episode， which has not been previously reported， served as an encapsulation of the role Harp has carved out in recent years as a constant and intensely dedicated presence at Trump’s side． Her methods have irked senior aides and at times prompted efforts to box her out of the president’s inner circle， according to multiple sources who described the dynamic to CNN．
A former right－wing television host， who began working for Trump after crediting him with saving her life， Harp has become a main conduit between the president and the outside world， passing along messages from allies and setting up meetings， tapping out Truth Social posts and toting printouts of laudatory articles， all while staying in close physical proximity at all hours of the day．
“［Trump］ likes the attention and the fact that she is 100％ committed and loyal，” one White House adviser told CNN． “She doesn’t second guess， doesn’t question．”
Harp’s relationship with Trump came under fresh scrutiny this week after Democratic Sen． Jon Ossoff mentioned her by name in a now－viral speech attacking Trump． The Georgia senator swiped at the president’s “travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar，” a reference to her joining the president — along with a very limited group — when he secretly boarded a smaller aircraft to leave Turkey due to a threat from Iran in July．
The comment spurred outrage from the White House， which repeatedly labeled Ossoff a “cringeworthy， feminine theatre kid” and “lightweight loser” — as well as rampant attention online．
Harp’s rapid rise within Trump world has stood out in large part because of the intensity of her dedication to the president since joining his staff in 2022． Despite having no formal title on Trump’s reelection campaign， Harp trailed him across the country， feeding him positive stories， social media posts and other correspondence so frequently that allies dubbed her the “human printer．”
Illustrating how she’s become indispensable to Trump， one Republican lawmaker noted that while they occasionally reach out to the president directly， they always make sure Harp is aware．
“She always responds． I don’t know how she manages it all，” the source said， adding that in addition to relaying messages to Trump， Harp often personally sends lawmakers articles or notes on the president’s behalf．
Since following him to the White House， multiple sources said， Harp has been omnipresent． In videos of Oval Office signings and events reviewed by CNN， Harp can often be spotted on the outskirts of the room， smiling or nodding along with the president as he speaks． She is frequently one of a smaller coterie of aides beside Trump as he travels to rallies．
“Natalie is so fast，” Trump has mused to allies after asking her to find or print something for him．
The ubiquity sometimes ruffles feathers within the White House， especially for some Trump advisers who at times have wanted to meet privately with the president — only to find Harp sitting in on the meeting as well， one of the sources familiar with the dynamic told CNN． The 35－year－old is also territorial about Trump and has told others that she only reports to him， irritating other staffers who work within the White House’s chain of command， another source said．
One White House official downplayed those complaints， insisting that Harp works well with most of her colleagues， collaborating on statements and flagging relevant information to the right people．
In a statement on Tuesday， White House spokesman Davis Ingle defended Harp as “one of the most loyal and hardest working aides on President Trump’s team．”
Others close to the White House decried Ossoff’s mention of Harp， contending that it made false insinuations about an aide who’s largely unknown to voters — and who had done nothing to invite such attention． One person familiar with the matter said she and Trump have a “father－daughter” relationship．
Yet even among those who have long been wary of Harp’s unusual authority within the West Wing， there was little expectation that the fresh attention on her role would weaken her standing — least of all with Trump himself．
Earlier this year， Trump ignited a firestorm after posting and then deleting a racist video that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle． The late－night post prompted criticism across the political spectrum， sparking a series of damaging news cycles and forcing Trump and his aides to scramble to mount a defense．
Within Trump’s orbit， allies and advisers privately speculated that Harp was responsible for the post， as she was one of a small number of aides with access to Trump’s Truth Social account．
But they were reluctant to name her， one source told CNN． If they did， they worried the fallout would only further strengthen Trump’s support for Harp．
