President Donald Trump secretly slipped away from Air Force One inside a catering truck, abandoned reporters and several aides aboard the presidential aircraft, and departed Turkey on a military plane with a remarkably small circle of trusted companions.
Now Trump biographer Maggie Haberman believes she knows why one particular aide was included in the mysterious escape.
Natalie Harp, the 35-year-old blonde assistant who has become nearly inseparable from the 80-year-old president, was there because she serves as his “human binkie,” Haberman suggested—a familiar presence who provides Trump with reassurance and comfort.
Follow @allchronology“Natalie Harp, because she is sort of his Binkie, for lack of a better way of putting it—his comfort blanket,” Haberman said Sunday.
The striking description came during Haberman’s appearance on Connect with Jacob Soboroff, where she discussed the cloak-and-dagger maneuver that unfolded during Trump’s departure from Turkey in July.
According to the reported account, Trump exited Air Force One without the usual presidential spectacle. Instead of walking publicly down the aircraft stairs, he was transported away in a catering vehicle before boarding a military plane.
The press corps and various administration aides remained behind aboard the decoy presidential aircraft, reportedly unaware of the full details of the plan.
But Harp went with Trump.
So did longtime aides Walt Nauta and Dan Scavino, along with key administration officials required for the military operation.
Follow @allchronologyThe unusual passenger list has raised questions about how Trump decided who would accompany him during the hurried departure—and whether some people were selected for emotional rather than strictly operational reasons.
“I can guess why Natalie Harp, Walt Nauta and Dan Scavino were with him,” Haberman said.
Harp’s constant presence has become increasingly visible during Trump’s second term. She accompanies the president on official business, travels with him and has been photographed joining him during golf outings.
Her role appears to extend far beyond that of a conventional executive assistant.
Harp has access to Trump’s social-media accounts, making her central to one of the president’s most powerful methods of communicating with supporters, attacking opponents and controlling the political conversation.
With outgoing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt preparing to depart, Harp has even been mentioned as a potential surprise contender to replace her.
Haberman’s characterization, however, portrayed Harp’s influence in deeply personal terms.
Calling someone the president’s “binkie” suggests that the aide does more than organize schedules or draft messages. It implies that her physical presence helps settle Trump during moments of pressure and uncertainty.
Follow @allchronologyHaberman argued that Nauta may play a similar role.
“Walt Nauta because he is something similar,” she said.
Nauta also reportedly carries the brown leather briefcase that became familiar to observers during Trump’s first presidency. It does not contain nuclear launch codes or classified military plans, according to Haberman’s description.
Instead, it carries Trump’s everyday essentials.
The case reportedly contains hairspray, Tic Tacs “and all kinds of stuff”—small items that preserve the president’s familiar routines even during a secretive international escape.
Scavino’s inclusion was easier to understand.
Haberman described him as one of Trump’s “closest aides,” noting that their relationship stretches back more than three decades. Scavino first worked as a caddy at Trump’s golf course in Westchester before becoming one of his longest-serving political and communications advisers.
Like Harp, he has access to Trump’s social-media operation, providing another practical reason to keep him nearby.
Follow @allchronologyTogether, the three aides form a distinctive inner circle.
Harp offers constant personal and administrative support. Nauta carries the president’s trusted belongings and assists with his daily needs. Scavino provides decades of loyalty while helping manage Trump’s political messaging.
In a moment of confusion, secrecy and possible danger, Trump appeared to surround himself with the people—and objects—that made his world feel familiar.
Haberman emphasized that the exact selection process remains unclear. Her explanation was an informed interpretation, not a confirmed White House account.
The administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Haberman’s comments are likely to infuriate Trump, who has repeatedly attacked her and The New York Times. He frequently lashes out at her on Truth Social and has attempted to discredit her reporting and books about his presidency.
Yet those attacks have done little to diminish the audience for her work. Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s latest book about Trump is reportedly on course to become the year’s bestselling nonfiction title despite the president’s efforts to undermine it.
The July escape remains surrounded by unanswered questions.
Why was a catering truck necessary? Who designed the decoy operation? Why were certain powerful advisers left on Air Force One while others were quietly taken with Trump?
But Haberman’s account offers a revealing possibility.
Follow @allchronologyWhen the president slipped away under extraordinary secrecy, he did not bring only the people responsible for military decisions.
He brought the aide described as his “comfort blanket,” the man carrying his hairspray and Tic Tacs, and the former golf-course caddy who has remained beside him for 30 years.
Even during a secret presidential escape, Trump apparently wanted the familiar pieces of his private world close at hand.
