Third Wheel
Things seemed a little awkward between Trump, his wife, and his deeply devoted personal aide during Sunday’s IndyCar Freedom250 Grand Prix
As we’ve learned in recent weeks, Natalie Harp rarely leaves the president’s side, and Sunday’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix was no exception. What was odd was that even though Harp was clearly among the president’s entourage, she was mostly invisible in the White House social media coverage of the race. The administration has been trying to do damage control as public scrutiny over the relationship between President Donald Trump and Harp intensifies, and it seems that not even an appearance by the reclusive first lady or mountains of media intrigue can persuade her to leave his side for any length of time.
In broadcasts of the event, Harp was clearly visible among Trump’s guests. In the president’s suite, she was spotted standing behind and to the right of Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, who has reportedly found herself at odds with Harp over her increasingly controversial relationship with her husband. Shocking. Someone in the press office, it seems, is trying to lower the temperature.
A clip of Trump waving the starting flag for the IndyCar race held on the National Mall on Sunday was oddly cropped. Half of the Fox Sports logo was missing; the first lady had an arm almost entirely cut out of the frame. Zoom out and the full picture shows Harp hovering just beyond the first lady’s shoulder.
