Good afternoon and welcome to the Daily Beast’s Cheat Sheet on Substack, where we’re bringing you the stories you need to know now—and that we’re not afraid to publish.
After publishing two letters written by Natalie Harp to Donald Trump in full for the first time, the Daily Beast has exclusively uncovered a video showing just how close the 35-year-old White House aide was to her boss even before he became president. The footage, taken before Trump’s second term, shows Harp, now 35, tapping her foot to one of the president’s favorite tunes while traveling on Trump Force One at a time he was campaigning for a return to the Oval Office. What was the song? Macho Man by Village People. Trump would certainly consider that an acceptable way to describe him. Judging by the way Natalie looks lovingly off camera, she would agree. While it may be a short clip, it again illustrates the $150,000-a-year special assistant’s proximity to power.
Natalie Harp is a White House enigma that even some of those closest to the president don’t fully understand. With our coverage, the Daily Beast is finally shining some light on her role in the shadow of the most powerful leader on the planet. Also this afternoon, we have uncovered a bunch of Harp’s posts from her old Twitter account, and guess who they are about? Yes, DJT himself. And Prince Harry suffered another humiliating setback in the British courts, even as he plans his return to his homeland with Meghan Markle (who may have a new job) and the kids. We are taking bets on how long before they head back to California. Oh, and the Supreme Court says Trump can continue building his Ballroom/bomb shelter/military complex/drone port.
Michael Wolff, the best-selling author and joint host with the Beast’s Joanna Coles of the Inside Trump’s Head podcast, was told by sources that there was real concern within Trump’s inner circle that Natalie Harp was becoming too close to her boss, to the extent that the Secret Service became involved. While writing his latest book about Trump’s 2024 campaign, All or Nothing, Wolff was handed the two letters from Harp to Trump published in full by the Daily Beast on Thursday—and a short video of her on board Trump’s plane. It was another illuminating example of just how Trump’s assistant was becoming ever-present in his life. If she was, indeed, auditioning for a job next to Trump, she certainly succeeded.
Prince Harry will have to pay the price for his failed legal action against a British newspaper after a judge ordered him and a bunch of celebrities, including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, to pay $13 million (£9.5 million) as a first installment of costs to Associated Newspapers Ltd. (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail. Mr. Justice Nicklin made his ruling after the private eye at the heart of Harry’s humiliating phone-hacking case branded the trial a “sham.”
Chief Justice John Roberts told Donald Trump on Friday that he could carry on constructing his beloved ballroom as the deadline ticked down from a lower court order to stop the bulldozers. The Supreme Court’s decision means that the building work can continue as it considers whether the project is unlawful. By the time they make up their minds, Trump’s D.C. Mar-a-Lago will be MAGA party central.
Donald Trump was heading to Myrtle Beach on Friday night to stump for drowning Darline Graham, who has had a tough week on the campaign trail after admitting that national security was not her thing during a debate. Trump’s problem is that he is struggling to keep Republicans in line as the party fights it out over Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat. The president will no doubt believe that his force of will can enforce his choice on South Carolina. But what if he can’t? That will be a tough one for him to swallow.
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