White House aide Natalie Harp was photographed hunched over and visibly straining under the weight of an enormous bag as she stepped off Air Force One at Dublin Airport in the early hours of 12 September, marking the start of President Donald Trump's two-day visit to the Republic of Ireland.
The 35-year-old executive aide was later spotted boarding Marine One at Shannon Airport, Co Clare, accompanying the 80-year-old president on his journey to the Irish Open at the Trump International Golf Links and Hotel in Doonbeg.
Online speculation over the bag
Dressed in a floor-length, long-sleeved forest-green gown, Harp appeared to struggle as she hauled an oversized black duffel bag over her shoulder while climbing the steps to the aircraft, though she remained cheerful and flashed a smile.
Social media user Aaron Rupar shared a photograph of Harp carrying the bag on X, writing: "damn, Natalie's bag just keep getting bigger and bigger." In the replies, one commenter quipped: "She needs to carry a lot of diapers," alluding to the widely circulated yet unsubstantiated online theory that, given Trump's advancing age and Harp's near-constant presence by his side, she serves as his personal carer.
Another added, "Maybe it's leftover food from Cart Force 1," referring to Trump's recent decoy manoeuvre. On 11th August, a US official confirmed that there was apparently enough of a credible assassination threat from Iran against Trump that prompted an elaborate decoy manoeuvre in early July. Footage appeared to show Trump boarding Air Force One while leaving the NATO Summit in Turkey on 8th July, but the president was then secretly transferred to a catering truck, which took him to another military plane waiting off to the side.
Harp's role in Trump's inner circle
A third commenter speculated, "The key to Trump and what's going on with him is in that bag. Somebody needs to swipe it from her!" A fourth wrote, "I honestly think she's homeless and the bag is everything she owns," while a fifth asked, "Why doesn't she have an intern."
Others remarked on Harp's smile, with one writing, "She is smiling through it!" and another pointing out, "Why does she ALWAYS have that psychotic smile on her face jesus christ she is not ok."
Harp has emerged as one of the most prominent and influential figures within Trump's inner circle. Speculation surrounding her proximity to Trump has intensified since New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan published extracts of her alleged intimate private letters to him in their 2026 book, Regime Change. Michael Wolff initially obtained the letters, which reportedly included one message to Trump stating, "I never want to bring you anything but joy."
White House spokesman Davis Ingle responded to the correspondence, saying, "Natalie Harp is one of the most loyal and hardest-working aides on President Trump's team."
During the 2024 campaign, Harp became known by the moniker "the Human Printer" for carrying a "battery-charged portable charger" to ensure the president received a "healthy supply of positive news." Some commentators have suggested she contributed to several of Trump's "unhinged" Truth Social posting marathons. Harp is also said to be present at "almost every single meeting" at the White House, essentially serving as an unofficial conduit of information straight to Trump beyond formal communication channels. The Washington Post has now disclosed that the president allegedly gave Harp and three other White House staff members $45k as a festive present.
Trump's visit to Ireland
Following his arrival at Dublin Airport, Trump made his way to Áras an Uachtaráin for talks with Irish President Catherine Connolly. In a statement released after their discussion, Connolly revealed she had raised with Trump the Irish people's view that the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted. She presented Trump with a St. Brigid's Cross, a copy of Navigatio Sancti Brendani – The Voyage of St Brendan, and the collected poems of Michael Longley, featuring his sonnet Ceasefire, as reported by RTE.
Trump then proceeded to bilateral discussions with Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Farmleigh House, where he declared it would be "fantastic" should Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland achieve unification. "I don't want to cause any problem. I will tell you, I'd love to see it unified. It's going to happen eventually," he remarked, a statement marking a departure from generations of American neutrality on the matter.
After participating in the Irish Open, Trump delivered an address before a gathering of embassy staff and business figures at Deerfield Residence, the official home of the U.S. ambassador. In the wide-ranging speech, Trump appeared to acknowledge that his comments regarding Irish unification had caused a stir, standing by his assertion that a united Ireland would "be pretty cool," yet conceding that being questioned on reunification is "one of those questions where no matter what you say, no matter how well you say it, there is no good answer."
The president praised the warmth of the Irish people, declaring, "They say you can't generalize about groups of people and countries. But you can!" While celebrating their friendliness, Trump also paid tribute to their "viciousness and toughness." "You are some of the most vicious b-----ds I've ever seen," he remarked, drawing laughter from the crowd. "But when you want to be nice, there's nobody nicer, okay?"
