Natalie Harp is supposed to write adoring letters to the US President +++ Left-wing democrat wins primary election in Florida +++ US national debt over 40 trillion dollars +++ all the news in the live blog
In our live blog we will inform you about all developments in Donald Trump's second presidency.
Trump's personal assistant: "You are everything to me"
What exactly does Natalie Harp do? Many people in the USA are asking themselves this question. The New York Times describes it this way: "She never takes a day off, not even on Sundays. She works in the Oval Office and has a permanent seat on Marine One. She texts with world leaders on behalf of the president. She stays up late with him to write social media posts." And further: "She rarely speaks in front of the camera, and yet she is always there - omnipresent with a brash smile and her eyes firmly fixed on the president."
Harp is the personal assistant to the US President. Still, the American public took little interest in her until it was recently revealed that she was one of the few people who secretly switched planes with Trump just before the presidential plane, Air Force One, was scheduled to fly back from the NATO summit in Ankara in July.
According to media reports, the reason for the secret transfer from Air Force One to a smaller military plane was a death threat from Iran. According to the Washington Post, the president and a select few climbed into the container of a catering vehicle for the change. The Wall Street Journal reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, among others, remained on board Air Force One despite the threat from Iran.
Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff then referenced Harp and attacked Trump, accusing him of just wanting to "build his ballroom and travel with Natalie" instead of doing his job. Trump, in turn, made derogatory comments about Ossoff.
And so Harp is now suddenly in the public eye. She was born in 1991 and worked as a television presenter for an extreme right-wing station. She advised Trump's 2019 campaign and eventually became his assistant.
In the American media, Harp is also referred to as the “human printer” because she constantly supplies Trump with printed information. In the recently published book “Regime Change” about the work of the US President, the authors, two journalists from the “New York Times,” portray Harp as very loyal to Trump. She writes him “adoring” letters, the book says. One letter ended with the words: “You are everything to me.”
Washington calls for the release of a US citizen “wrongfully” imprisoned in China
The United States government has deemed a US citizen arrested in China “wrongfully imprisoned” and called for his release. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has “determined that US citizen Min Zin is being unlawfully detained in China,” the State Department said in Washington on Thursday. “We will continue to advocate for Zin” and demand the “release of all those arbitrarily detained in China,” it said.
The political scientist Min Zin is considered an expert on neighboring Myanmar and was arrested on June 3 in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan on espionage charges. He is the founder of the think tank ISP-M. According to US information, he came to China at the invitation of the government in Beijing to take part in a conference.
In some of his publications, Zin devoted himself to China's influence in the border region with Myanmar. Beijing is accused of supporting both the Myanmar military and rebel groups there in order to advance its own interests. The Chinese government said Zin was suspected of espionage and endangering “China’s national security.”
The case is politically explosive, also because the US government's classification comes only around a month before Chinese leader Xi Jinping's planned visit to US President Donald Trump in Washington. In addition to Zin, the US government also classifies US seismologist Youlin Chen as “unlawfully detained in China”. Washington demanded that he too be released.
The debate about Donald Trump's prestige project is taking a new turn: In the legal dispute over the halting of construction of the new ballroom in the White House, there is suddenly talk of national security and a highly protected military facility.
Left-wing Democrat surprisingly wins primary in Florida
In the US Democratic congressional primary, another representative of the left wing beat out her favored challenger within the party. In the fight for a Senate nomination, Representative Angie Nixon surprisingly prevailed in the state of Florida on Wednesday against security expert Alexander Vindman, who had previously been considered the clear favorite. The result is considered one of the biggest surprises of the party's internal preliminary rounds for the midterm elections in November. President Donald Trump, however, was certain that the contested Senate position would ultimately remain in Republican hands.
Nixon is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and is supported by prominent left-wing politicians in the Democratic Party. The declared socialist managed to catch up with Vindman when it came to fundraising.
US debt now more than $40 trillion
The US national debt has risen to over 40 trillion dollars (34.3 trillion euros) for the first time. The Treasury Department in Washington published corresponding figures on Wednesday. Accordingly, the total outstanding national debt at the close of business the previous day was $40.05 trillion.
This meant that national debt rose higher than previously forecast by the government and experts. According to experts, the reasons for this are, among other things, President Donald Trump's tariff policy, long-term payment obligations in the areas of social security and health care, and rising interest costs.
Trump has a helicopter pad built at the White House
US President Donald Trump is having a helicopter pad built on the White House grounds, once again changing the look of the official residence. The 80-year-old led journalists around the construction site on the south side. Trump cited the reason for the landing site with a granite floor because new helicopters have not yet been able to land on the grassy area. The power of the engines is so great that pieces of grass are torn out and thrown around during the landing process. So far, older models have been in service.
Trump also said that the US helicopter manufacturer was financing the landing site. The media had reported some time ago that there had been plans for the helicopter landing pad for years. The purchase of new helicopters would have raised the question of a helipad because of the problems for the lawn. Media reports also stated that the design of the new helicopters poses the risk of setting the lawn on fire due to hot air being directed downwards.
Since the start of his second term in office at the beginning of 2025, Trump has already changed the look of the White House in several places: for example, he had the east wing demolished and is planning a controversial, huge ballroom. The Oval Office was also lavishly decorated with gold.
“The White House was in terrible shape,” Trump said. In this context, he also mentioned the facade, which is currently undergoing restoration work. At the same time, Trump praised himself: One thing he can do is build. Critics, on the other hand, repeatedly accuse Trump of seeking recognition.
Kim Jong Un's sister knows "absolutely nothing" about conversations with Trump
The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong, says she knows nothing about conversations between her brother and US President Donald Trump. “I know absolutely nothing about such communication,” Kim Yo Jong said on Wednesday. Her brother still has “good feelings” towards the US President. Trump had previously indicated that he was in contact with Kim.
At the last minute: Trump suspends announced tariffs against Canada
Immediately before new tariffs against Canada were scheduled to come into force, US President Donald Trump suspended them for three days. He announced this late on Tuesday evening after negotiations between both sides at almost the last minute. An agreement was reached during the talks, which now needs to be finalized, said Trump. However, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney emphasized that "important work" still needs to be done.
Tariffs of 50 percent on certain Canadian goods were actually supposed to come into force at midnight Washington time (Wednesday 6 a.m. CEST). Their suspension shortly before this date is “based on the fact that Canada and the USA have reached an agreement – subject to the completion of the documents!” Trump wrote on his online network Truth Social.
He himself negotiated the threatened tariffs with Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday. A Canadian delegation also traveled to Washington for final negotiations.
After the negotiations, Carney also spoke of important progress, but also emphasized the work that still needs to be done to reach an agreement. “Substantial progress has been made, but there is still important work to be done,” he said shortly after Trump’s suspension announcement.
The collection of import fees should be suspended for three days so that both sides can conclude a deal for the Keystone XL oil pipeline project, Trump announced on his Truth Social platform.
Keystone XL is an oil pipeline project blocked by Trump's Democratic predecessor Joe Biden. The Republican Trump has long had the desire to revive the project despite concerns from environmentalists.
The project, which was actually shelved years ago, was about the 1,900 kilometer long expansion of the Keystone Pipeline, which went into operation in 2010 and runs from the Canadian province of Alberta to the USA. Oil extracted from tar sands was to be pumped through the pipe to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
But environmentalists, who pointed out the danger of climate-damaging greenhouse gases and feared leaks, were successful in their years-long protest against the oil industry: Although part of the pipeline already exists in the south, the operators and the government of Alberta canceled the XL project in June 2021. This ended a long and difficult conflict that also intensively preoccupied courts and politicians in the USA and Canada.
The decision by the company and the Canadian province came as little surprise at the time. Biden revoked the construction permit granted by his then predecessor Trump after taking office. In doing so, he followed the line of former President Barack Obama, who had already banned the project - even before Trump came into office for the first time in 2017 - due to environmental concerns.
USA and South Korea end military exercises early
South Korea and the USA will cut their current military exercises by half. As South Korea's General Staff announced, the maneuver will end on Friday at the request of the USA. It was originally planned that the military exercises entitled “Ulchi Freedom Shield”, which have been running since Monday, would last until August 27th.
According to a report by the South Korean public broadcaster KBS, the armed forces of both countries should, as in previous years, practice defense against a simulated attack from North Korea. However, the previously planned counteroffensive was completely canceled. This point has not yet been officially confirmed.
Already at the weekend, US President Donald Trump announced in a post on the online platform Truth Social that the joint military exercise with South Korea would be significantly smaller - because there was no longer enough time to cancel it completely. He referred to his supposedly “very good relationship” with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un. The military maneuvers sent a “totally inappropriate and hostile signal” to a country that, as long as he was president, had posed no threat and behaved with respect, Trump wrote.
Liberia is accepting migrants deported from the USA
The West African country of Liberia wants to accept up to 1,200 migrants from the USA in the next twelve months who will not be deported to their home countries. The government in Monrovia announced on Tuesday that a first group of 20 people was expected on Thursday.
Those affected are people from African countries and countries in the Western Hemisphere. U.S. immigration judges had previously ruled that they were at risk of torture or other ill-treatment in their home countries. The US State Department did not name the exact nationalities. Liberia viewed the arrivals as guests who could leave the country at any time or apply for asylum, it said.
The Liberian government emphasized that there was no direct consideration for the agreement. They are not demanding financial compensation from the US government. However, Liberia will receive support in managing the program and strengthening its own migration system. The government also noted the country's history as a historic refuge for freed slaves from the United States.
