The “story” of Natalie Harp and President Donald Trump has been a hot-button topic of a salacious nature this week. Blame Senator John Ossoff. He recently gave a rally speech where he insinuated there was an untoward relationship between the president and Harp, and in little time he walked back his comments, showing there was no basis for his rumor-mongering.

Someone should inform CNN of this lack of development in the non-story.

While Ossoff has been altering his hot take, CNN has decided that Harp is a deeply significant topic, and the network’s gossiping hens have been dispatched. Kristen Holmes has released a profile of Natalie Harp, which is rather curious, considering all the members of the White House inner circle who remain a mystery to the general public.

Highlighting Harp is not an obvious choice, given that Holmes describes her as being a part of the “coterie of aides”. Her attempt here is to paint Harp as being a larger, possibly controversial figure in the president’s inner circle. The gossiping nature of things is seen in one assumed connection to a scandal. 

That would be the “racist video” depicting former President Obama as an ape. (For a refresher: The account did not post that racist video; a brief snippet was displayed as a result of the autoplay function used by the platform from which the actual posted video had been lifted.) Holmes tries to lay this at the feet of Harp, but the connection is less than tangential.

Supposedly staffers speculate that Harp was the one to post that video, but the evidence is scant. According to Holmes, using anonymous sources, some are guessing it was her. But these nameless people are unwilling to name her, because of office politics. As we said – gossip.

One primary anecdote concerning Natalie Harp was a story about possibly being left out of a motorcade excursion. The story goes that as Trump’s entourage was going to a courthouse, a lack of room meant Harp was to be left behind. She complained loudly that she was to be included, and eventually “Harp jumped into an SUV trunk.”

It is unclear what exactly constitutes a “trunk” with an SUV. But also unclear is why this is somehow considered a scandalous event. Can you believe she was eager enough to join the group that she climbed into the back of a vehicle?! Well…yes, that is a rather believable and unimpressive detail. Still, the “episode” (as it is described) was considered grave enough to be part of the headline of this un-scathing profile.

Also picking up on this trunk controversy was Erin Burnett. She brought up this story when she spoke with Natalie Harp’s estranged brother. That description of him alone should describe the network’s vibrating excitement to bring him on the air to disparage the sibling who, one week ago, 99.9673% of the country had been unaware of who she is.

Burnett introduced Preston Harp, for the sake of “weighing on the attention she is now getting.” So CNN hypes the White House aide, brings on her brother to continue that hype, so he can comment on the manufactured hype. And he was so unhelpful to the cause that when Erin brought up the anecdote about the SUV, the guy with the surfer’s drawl laughed at the story he had just heard for the first time. The interview extended for about 10 minutes, as it appeared Burnett was straining to get anything helpful from the brother, but he delivered little of substance.

In this segment Burnett managed to undercut her network’s effort in an unintentional fashion, by running videos involving the White House aide. Remember, the entire hysteria surrounding Ossoff’s comments on Natalie Harp had been insinuating that she was a new paramour for the president. But in setting up the interview with her brother, Burnett displayed how Natalie has been a close member of the president’s team for years.

There is one video circulating on social media that is supposedly another hit on Harp. It is suggested to be a leaked clip showing her operating on the president’s Truth Social account, with Trump visible in the scene. This is a dual dose of amusement taking place.

Unearthed video: Trump aide Natalie Harp personally types out Trump’s Truth Social posts as he sits there rambling pic.twitter.com/6Bv7uUcNZk

— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) August 17, 2026

To suggest this is the first time a politician is shown to not be operating their named social media account is pure naivete. But better is the suggestion that this is an “unearthed” video clip that needs to be exposed. Unlike a leaked video, it is actually a segment pulled from a TV series, The Art of the Surge, which was an inside look at the 2024 campaign of Donald Trump. 

So this “new” exposed video is actually from a publicly available documentary, which had been approved and vetted by the Trump camp. It serves as yet another example of the hype we are seeing circulating around Natalie Harp. It is an insistence on some new scathing details involving someone who is a longtime figure in the White House, operating in a rather innocuous fashion.

Of course, more amusement is seen with the thought that if successful, chasing off Harp would ultimately have a negligible effect. She is regarded as a typical Yes-man/woman type that the president prefers in his orbit. Those are interchangeable figures, and little would change were her to be replaced with the next compliant figure.

CNN is trying to insist that there is a reason to go after Natalie Harp, when the initial source of the outrage has already backed away from his claims. The network has sensed blood in the water, but has yet to grasp that it is little more than plasma floating in an aquarium. 

The post CNN Strains to ‘Expose’ Trump Aide Natalie Harp Despite the Lack of Scandal first appeared on Mediaite.

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