Donald Trump’s ever-present aide Natalie Harp attended Sunday’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix event in the president’s official viewing box - but she was nowhere to be found in the White House’s official video of the event.
Harp, 35, appeared in numerous photographs and videos from the Washington, D.C. event, but was largely excluded from the White House’s tightly edited social media footage, The Daily Beast reported Monday.
One video, which was shared by the White House, the first lady, and the race’s official Instagram account, rapidly cycles through scenes from the event while closely cropping Trump and Melania and largely eliminating other attendees.
Another clip of Trump waving the green flag to begin the race was cropped so tightly that it appeared almost devoid of context, according to the outlet. A version posted on X included Melania but cut off part of the Fox Sports logo.
The original footage briefly captured Harp smiling and clapping in the background. She was also visible for approximately three seconds in a longer Fox Sports clip, but disappeared from subsequent White House images showing Trump holding the flag.
The mysterious editing job comes as Harp faces renewed scrutiny over her unusually close relationship with the president and reported tensions with Melania. The first lady appeared to leave a suite at one point Sunday as Harp entered, The Daily Beast reported.
“Harp—who has attracted media attention over the past week after Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff made a very public remark about her relationship with the president—is reportedly on shaky ground with Melania, who has been largely absent from the White House of late,” the publication wrote Monday.
The White House did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment.