Trump’s aide Natalie Harp, son Eric and MAGA inner circle join president and Melania for Freedom 250 Grand Prix

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were joined by family members, MAGA allies and White House staffers for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix Sunday — including devoted executive assistant Natalie Harp.

For the first time, the streets of Washington, D.C. transformed to host an IndyCar race, where 25 drivers completed 147 laps around a circuit in the nation’s capital. The event, organized by the White House-affiliated Freedom 250, was created at the direction of Trump in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.

After a quick lap around the circuit in the presidential vehicle known as “The Beast,” Trump waved the green flag to start the race while surrounded by his inner circle in the viewing stands.

Harp, the 35-year-old staffer who has been in headlines recently over her close relationship to the president, was in attendance and has been photographed in Trump’s orbit all weekend. She joined him on a Saturday golf trip to his club in Virginia.

The White House aide was seen chatting with Eric Trump, the president’s second-eldest son, before the race began and she sat several rows behind the president and first lady as the race got underway.

Eric Trump publicly expressed support for Harp this past week, calling her “an incredible young woman” after Harp’s brother criticized her “obsession” with the president.

“She’s deeply committed to my father, to her job, and to this country,” Eric Trump wrote on social media in response.

Though Harp has been a close ally to Trump for years, she’s recently become the subject of media coverage in part because Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff invoked her name while insulting the president.

During a rally last week, Ossoff told a crowd Trump would rather “travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace” than do his job. The senator was referring to a report that Harp was one of the few aides Trump took with him on a separate jet when he discreetly flew out of Turkey.

Ossoff’s comments ignited media attention over Harp’s role in keeping Trump’s morale up by finding positive social media posts, op-eds or messages and printing them out for the president to see. She’s been nicknamed “the human printer” for doing so.

Recent reporting has also revealed Harp’s deep devotion to the president – running behind his golf cart to keep up with him, jumping in the trunk of an SUV to ensure her proximity to Trump and writing the president deeply personal letters.

Despite the controversy over Harp, Trump has kept her close – ensuring she had a front-row seat to the IndyCar race Sunday.

Other Trump allies in attendance included Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White and outgoing Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Eric Trump was joined by his wife, Lara Trump, and their two children. Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, also attended the IndyCar race with his new wife, Bettina Trump.