Natalie Harp has been given a new nickname revealing her role as Trump’s “comfort blanket.”
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman revealed on MSNOW Sunday that Trump’s executive assistant, 35, is now called “binkie” by some in the president’s orbit. The nickname, a reference to a baby’s pacifier, came to light as details emerged about Harp’s selection for a clandestine plane transfer during a recent international trip.
“Natalie Harp, because she is sort of his Binkie, for lack of a better way of putting it — his comfort blanket,” Haberman explained to host Jacob Soboroff during her Sunday appearance. She continued: “Because she is sort of his comfort blanket, for lack of a better way of putting it.”
Harp was one of just three aides chosen to accompany Trump, 80, aboard a catering truck to secretly transfer from Air Force One to a smaller jet during last month’s NATO summit in Turkey. The maneuver came after an Iranian threat to launch a missile at the presidential aircraft, according to reports.
The other two aides selected for the getaway were Walt Nauta, director of Oval Office operations, and Dan Scavino, White House deputy chief of staff. Haberman noted that Trump chose all three because of their long tenure in sensitive roles serving him personally. Scavino’s employment dates back to his teenage years as a golf caddy at one of Trump’s clubs, while Nauta was Trump’s military valet during his first term and later became a co-defendant in the classified documents case.
Harp’s role has evolved significantly during her approximately six years with Trump. She originally earned the moniker “human printer” for following the president with a portable printer and battery pack, producing large-format printouts of news articles, social media posts, and talking points from conservative websites. She reportedly still carries a brown briefcase containing hair spray, breath mints, and other items for the president.
In recent years, Harp has taken on the additional duty of authoring Truth Social posts that Trump dictates. A clip from the Apple TV documentary The Art of the Surge shows her typing up Trump’s thoughts as he and top aides watched then-vice president Kamala Harris’ 2024 convention speech. Harp reportedly sits just outside the Oval Office during work days and manages the president’s day-to-day social media posting when he is not doing so himself.
The revelation of Harp’s inclusion in the secret plane transfer has fueled online speculation about Karoline Leavitt’s recent resignation as White House press secretary. Leavitt was among those left behind on the original aircraft, which served as a decoy.
“Karoline Leavitt announced her resignation 24 hours after she found out that Trump left her for dead on a plane he thought could be shot out of the sky,” one user theorized online. Another added: “I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that Karoline Leavitt resigned as White House press secretary after being an unwitting decoy on Air Force One.” A third wrote: “I guess Karoline wasn’t a fan of being left to die on the old AF1 while Trump was scuttled to another plane via catering truck.”
Leavitt, however, announced she was leaving to focus on being a mother to her two young children.
In the viral moment that first drew widespread attention to Harp’s unusual role, author Michael Wolff revealed in his 2025 book All or Nothing that the aide had written personal notes to Trump in what were described as “personal spaces.” The notes reportedly included lines such as “You are all that matters to me” and “You’re the alpha and the omega, the be all and end all, what would I be without you?” Wolff characterized them as “love notes, mash notes” and said the Secret Service viewed Harp as “a danger to herself and to him.” The 2026 book Regime Change by Haberman and Jonathan Swan further detailed that Trump calls her “Nathalie” with a French pronunciation and has said she was the “only one who loved him as much as his wife and kids.”
Harp’s estranged brother has publicly called her relationship with Trump “unhealthy” and referred to her as Trump’s “fan club.”
Trump is scheduled to travel to Milwaukee for a campaign-style rally.