Natalie Harp has long been one of President Donald Trump's closest aides, but a pointed comment from Sen. Jon Ossoff has put her into the national spotlight.
During a rally in Atlanta on Aug. 16, the Georgia Democrat accused Trump of wanting to "travel with Natalie" instead of focusing on his duties, reigniting questions about the aide's influence and unusually close proximity to the president.
The controversy has put a fresh spotlight on Harp, a longtime Trump loyalist whose role around the president has drawn increasing attention. Her constant presence alongside Trump, reported access to his communications and growing visibility inside his inner circle have made her one of the most talked-about aides in Washington.
Who is Natalie Harp?
Natalie Harp, 34, is Trump's
executive assistant and one of the most visible figures in the president's inner circle. Harp, a former television presenter for One America News Network, graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2012 and received an MBA from Liberty University in 2015, according to Vanity Fair.
Harp first gained national attention after crediting Trump's "Right to Try" law with helping her access an experimental treatment for bone cancer, according to Forbes. She spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention and later worked on Trump's 2024 presidential campaign before joining the White House as executive assistant at the start of his second term.
Why is she called the 'human printer'?
Harp has become known in Trump circles as the "human printer," a nickname tied to her habit of carrying a portable printer and battery pack so she could provide the president with physical copies of information wherever he traveled, according to reporting by The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network.
She has also been linked in reports to some of Trump's most controversial social media activity through her access to his Truth Social account.
Harp was among a select few on Trump's secret flight
Harp's proximity to Trump was on display earlier this month when she was among a small group selected to accompany the president after he was secretly transferred from Air Force One to another aircraft via catering truck amid threats on his life from Iran.
Other top officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, adviser Stephen Miller and reporters traveling with the president, remained on what became a "decoy" plane.
Reports highlight her connection with Trump
Journalist and author Michael Wolff claimed in his 2025 book "All or Nothing: How Trump Recaptured America," that Harp sometimes included personal notes in briefing materials delivered to Trump.
According to Wolff, those notes included messages praising the president, prompting what Vanity Fair described as "bewilderment and concern" among some people in Trump's orbit. The magazine reported that some officials attempted to create distance between Harp and Trump, though those efforts did not last.
She's a cancer survivor
Harp is a survivor of bone cancer and has frequently spoken about how the experimental treatment she received under the "Right to Try" program affected her life.
The law, signed by Trump in 2018, allows some terminally ill patients to seek access to treatments that have not yet received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
What is known about Natalie Harp's family?
Little is publicly known about Harp's family or personal life. However, her estranged brother, Preston Harp, has publicly commented on her relationship with Trump, calling it "unhealthy" in remarks reported by the Daily Mail.
He later told The Daily Beast that he believed his sister viewed Trump as a father figure and said she had struggled with her relationship with her late father.
As scrutiny of Harp intensifies after Ossoff's comments, interest in the executive assistant continues to grow, making her one of the most closely watched figures in Trump's inner circle.
This story has been updated with new information.
Contributing: Irene Wright, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Natalie Harp? Trump's aide explained
