Natalie Harp nowhere to be seen as Donald heads for Ireland with another woman
Natalie Harp nowhere to be seen as Donald heads for Ireland with another woman
Ellie Hook & Brigid BrownSat, September 12, 2026 at 3:28 PM UTC
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Air Force One landed in Dublin early this morning, Saturday, September 12, 2026 -Credit:Getty Images
Donald Trump arrived in Ireland for a two-day trip focusing on the Irish Open and discussions with the country's leadership.
The 80-year-old-president touched down in Dublin this morning — Saturday, September 12 — where he met with President Catherine Connolly and Prime Minister Micheál Martin at Phoenix Park. Connolly has been an outspoken opponent of the war in Iran and American use of Shannon Airport.
Trump was spotted climbing aboard Air Force One the previous evening, fielding questions from reporters before stepping onto the plane. Yet his traveling party seemed to be missing a notable figure, Natalie Harp, reports Irish Star.
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This follows revelations that a lip reader caught Trump's angry 5-word explosion at the pilot before he abruptly departed.
Harp, Trump's 35-year-old special assistant and executive assistant, was conspicuously absent from the scene; instead, the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., his new wife, Bettina Anderson, and several of his children trailed behind.
Harp wasn't the sole prominent woman missing from Trump's circle; First Lady Melania Trump also appeared to skip the journey. During previous trips and appearances, Harp has regularly accompanied Trump, making this departure unusual for the duo.
Harp, however, was spotted boarding the aircraft separately from Trump's main entourage, lugging a large carry-on bag while chatting with White House director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta as the pair made their way across the Ellipse to the plane.
Just hours before Trump departed for Ireland, Harp had been present at the 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11, 2001, attacks at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on September 11, 2026.
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Donald Trump traveled straight from Dublin Airport to meet President Catherine Connolly. -Credit:Getty Images
In a moment that quickly drew ridicule on social media, Trump was embraced by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Condoleezza Rice, only to receive the cold shoulder from Melania. The president simply tapped her on the shoulder before taking his seat, while Harp looked on from the audience.
The First Lady appeared equally disengaged as the couple stood together in silence on stage shortly after the president's address to the Pentagon crowd.
Over recent months, Harp has accompanied the president to numerous locations, including his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and a golf resort in Scotland, where she was photographed chasing after his cart.
In the wake of the runaway golf cart episode, it emerged that Harp had sent an emotional, apologetic note to President Trump, reportedly left directly on his desk. "I want things to always be right between us," Harp reportedly penned in one of the letters.
Donald Trump had quite the greeting in Ireland -Credit:Reach PLC/ Charlie Jones
This week, Marc Beckman, Melania's senior adviser, defended the first lady, insisting she has no issue with Harp, whose closeness with the president has fueled a wave of online speculation.
"What they need to do is look in the mirror because they're all attacking this hardworking, very talented, very intelligent person in Natalie Harp," he stated, saying the press is "obsessed with the gossip with the First Family. And I can tell you firsthand that it's time for them to become journalists and stop looking at the gossip."
During his Ireland visit, Trump is also scheduled to deliver remarks at the US ambassador's residence in the capital before heading to his golf resort in Doonbeg, County Clare, to take in the Irish Open 2026.
The tournament, being held at Trump International Golf Links, got underway on Thursday, with Trump expected to attend the prize presentation on Sunday before making his return to the White House.
This follows Trump's widely condemned behavior caught on camera at the 9/11 memorial.
On last year's campaign trail, she told RTÉ: "We have a president, Trump, who is volatile, unpredictable, acting like a bully, bringing in tariffs when it suits him."
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
