Donald Trump's aide Natalie Harp allegedly "went crazy" on Air Force One after being separated from the president, according to author Michael Wolff. Trump recently admitted he secretly swapped planes as he left a NATO summit in Turkey last month, exiting Air Force One and hiding in a catering truck before taking off in a military plane.
Plane Swap and Security Concerns
The US President, who launched a war with Iran in March, was allegedly the focus of an Iranian assassination plot. In July, he boarded the plane in full view of cameras, only to be taken to a second aircraft for his own safety. The move sparked controversy, as numerous unaware officials, reporters and aides remained on the seemingly endangered Air Force One as it flew towards the UK.
One aide who seems to have been spared this fate was Natalie Harp, who recently hit headlines after a series of personal messages allegedly written by her to Trump were released. Michael Wolff, author of several Trump books including Fire and Fury, discussed the incident on the Daily Beast podcast's Inside Trump's Head with journalist Joanna Coles, where he made the allegation about Harp.
Harp's Reaction and Role
Michael said: "It was very clear there would be a proxy plane with press on it with some staff on it, and then Trump would be on another plane. In at least one instance, there was a meltdown. And actually, this is why I came to know about this, because Natalie Harp was put on the proxy plane. Natalie Harp, as we have discussed many times before, is Trump's constant companion."
Trump's unusually close bond with Harp has raised eyebrows in recent weeks. Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan's new biography on Trump – Regime Change – alleged she left deeply personal letters for the 80-year-old president to discover. They allegedly included the message: "You are all that matters to me."
Nicknames and Aftermath
Harp, who accompanies her boss to nearly every event, recently gained the nickname "nappy nurse" after she was seen carrying a tote bag during a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, with online commentators pushing unsubstantiated claims that she was carrying adult nappies for Trump. Insiders also dub her "human printer" because she is said to trail Trump with a printer, supplying him with printed material on the go.
Michael claims she "raised such a ruckus" on Air Force One. He went on to say: "She was put on the proxy plane and had just went crazy and got everyone involved with this, and, in fact, then was moved on to the Trump plane because then Trump found out. She raised such a ruckus that Trump found out or this...somebody had to tell Trump, 'We can't go anywhere'. And then she was moved over to Trump's from the proxy plane to Trump's."
Joanna asked if Harp had been smuggled out in the catering truck with Trump, to which Michael added: "She's resourceful."
Official Explanation and Reports
Explaining why he switched planes, Trump told reporters this week: "I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, different plane. I just have to do what they say." It remains unclear whether those who stayed on the plane were in danger. Trump, however, says they weren't. He claims the second plane was at "greater risk... because that would be the plane, I think, that they would be more likely to go for."
Officials reportedly told CBS News the US had become aware of an Iranian threat to shoot a missile at Air Force One. It was further reported by The New York Times that US intelligence has been told of an individual close to the summit carrying a shoulder-fired missile. Steven Cash, executive director of the Steady State and a former CIA officer, told the Guardian: "It appears that the idea was we can reduce the danger to President Trump by offering up 100 or so people to be killed by the Iranians in his place."
