Trump, Natalie Harp and a 'defenseless flying palace': Unusual aide bond now in focus
Ossoff: While the sailors on the Lincoln fight his war, while he fruitlessly drains our munitions and oil reserves, the president sleeps through his meetings. He golfs and trades stocks. So he doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on… pic.twitter.com/6KqephHAd3
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 16, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC: With midterms approaching, Democrats and Republicans are sharpening their attacks on one another as both parties fight for control of a narrowly divided United States Senate.
In the latest attempt, Senator Jon Ossoff turned President Donald Trump's relationship with a longtime aide into a political flashpoint, accusing him of choosing to travel with her and build his ballroom rather than doing the job voters elected him to do.
Trump's relationship with aide Natalie Harp faces scrutiny
Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) took aim at President Donald Trump’s relationship with longtime aide Natalie Harp, accusing the president of choosing to “travel with Natalie” instead of doing his job.
Ossoff, who is seeking another term in the Senate, brought up Harp, one of Trump’s closest personal aides, during a rally where he criticized the president over the long deployments faced by sailors aboard US aircraft carriers this year.
“While the sailors on the Lincoln fight his war, while he fruitlessly drains our munitions and oil reserves, the president sleeps through his meetings,” Ossoff said.
The senator continued: “He golfs and trades stocks. See, he doesn’t want to do the job; he wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie to their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar.”
Harp is known as one of Trump's trusted aides and was reportedly one of just three aides who accompanied him in July when he secretly swapped Air Force One for a smaller C-32A military aircraft during his departure from a NATO summit in Turkey
The US Secret Service and military arranged the covert transfer using an airport catering truck to act as a decoy against a credible Iranian threat.
Jon Ossoff honors sailors and slams Trump's leadership
The senator said that these sailors deserve leaders who send them to war with a clear mission, not, in his words, “fools" who mislead them about the reality of combat.
The Abraham Lincoln continues to operate in the Middle East, amid the confrontation with Iran.
Ossoff paid tribute to the sailors, Marines, and aviators aboard the Lincoln, honoring the hardship of their extended deployment while drawing a deliberate contrast with the president
“Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, they've now been at sea for 240-plus days without a port call. It’s a Navy record,” he said.
“And still they serve with excellence. God bless the sailors, Marines, aviators, and all aboard the United States Ship Abraham Lincoln,” he added.
