Trump caught with mouth 'agape' due to Natalie Harp distraction during game
U.S. President Donald Trump and his executive assistant Natalie Harp exit Marine One at the Ellipse near the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 16, 2026. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon

More than 100,000 fans at Neyland Stadium were watching Tennessee take on top-ranked Texas on Saturday. Photos from the game show that for at least a few moments, President Donald Trump was looking at his aide Natalie Harp's laptop instead, according to The Daily Beast.

Photographers from Reuters, AFP and Getty Images caught Harp, 35, holding up a laptop and pointing at the screen for Trump in Knoxville, Tennessee. In the photos, Trump, 80, leans over Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) to see it.

Independent journalist Aaron Rupar pointed out that Trump and Hagerty's mouths appeared "agape" in one image, The Daily Beast reported.

It isn't clear what was on the screen. But Harp has a reputation as the president's personal media monitor, and she has been called Trump's "human printer" because she reportedly keeps feeding him positive articles.

The Washington Post has reported that she brings Trump printed copies of news stories and social media posts. CBS has reported that Trump often dictates Truth Social posts to her, and she types and publishes them.

That role has drawn more scrutiny in recent months. Harp has been described as one of Trump's most trusted aides, and critics worry about how much she controls what information reaches him.

"Everyone in the world knows how much Trump craves attention, especially televised attention," economist Robert Reich wrote on Instagram earlier this week. "He views much of what he and his regime do through the lenses of television."

The Daily Beast reported Trump left the game at halftime.

His visit had already made news before the photos came out. Videos shared online appeared to show fans booing when he came on the stadium's big screen. Earlier in the week, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian had warned that Trump's movements around the stadium could knock out the teams' headsets.