Sen. Jon Ossoff addressed his viral comment about President Donald Trump’s aide Natalie Harp in an Aug. 19 interview.
Ossoff, a Democratic senator from Georgia, took aim at Trump at a campaign rally in Atlanta on Aug. 16 in a clip that was shared far and wide on social media.
“So, he doesn’t want to do the job,” Ossoff said in the viral moment. “He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar.”
The woman he referenced was Trump’s aide Natalie Harp. The week before the rally, reports came out that Harp, 35, was among a small group of aides to join Trump in a secret plane swap in Turkey after a possible threat on the other Air Force One plane.
Harp has stuck in the news cycle in the past week: her estranged brother spoke to CNN. New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman called her Trump’s “binky … a comfort blanket.” Of course, Ossoff’s comment had a role in it too, though he received some backlash from conservatives who called his comments sexist.
“It’s been amazing to watch this White House meltdown over this all week,” Ossoff told Lawrence O’Donnell on MS NOW’s “The Last Word” on Aug. 19. “About Natalie Harp, these White House staffers are adults, public officials paid by the taxpayer with immense power in positions of public trust. … No one cares about their feelings.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Contributing: Irene Wright, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X (Twitter), Threads, Bluesky and TikTok.