Natalie Harp has joined Donald Trump as they travel across America in the lead-up to the midterm elections.
President Trump, 80, has been supporting Republican candidates at a number of political rallies ahead of the November midterms. Harp, 35, has joined the president on his travels and has appeared alongside him onstage at two separate rallies.
It’s just the latest instance of the president’s executive assistant joining him on the road, with Harp having previously traveled with Trump during a September visit to Ireland. During that trip, Harp raised eyebrows when people noticed what looked like bruising around her ankles.
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Photographs showed Harp standing near the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and his wife, Bettina Trump, at the welcoming ceremony held at Irish President Catherine Connolly’s official residence in Dublin, Ireland.
Harp wore a dark green, fitted midi dress complemented by beige stilettos. She clutched a phone in one hand while standing on a red carpet among Trump’s traveling delegation.
Natalie Harp previously joined Donald Trump in Ireland -Credit:AP Photo/Kin Cheung
The 35-year-old’s ankles showed visible discoloration during the event. This wasn’t an isolated occurrence, as similar markings were seen on her ankles while she walked toward Marine One at Morristown Airport in New Jersey on September 4.
Following the emergence of Harp’s worrying health sign, The Irish Star contacted health expert Shaun Steingold to discuss potential causes of the discoloration visible on Harp’s ankles, and he suggested it could all be down to her shoes. “Recurring ankle discoloration is one thing I pay attention to because those are signs of vascular changes which is what I’m seeing in Harp’s case,” he began.
The expert suggested, “Some may see the pictured finding and think it represents an acute injury but given its been around for a few weeks that seems unlikely.” Steingold went on to suggest that the condition could represent “an example of chronic venous insufficiency.”
He described this as “a common condition” in which the veins in the legs “fatigue from having to pump blood back to the heart and the blood starts to pool, causing a blotchy darkening or hyperpigmentation of the ankles.”
Her ankles appeared to be bruised -Credit:Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Steingold then turned his attention to Harp’s footwear, suggesting her shoe choices may be contributing to the issue. He noted, “Interestingly enough, stilettos are known to reduce the efficiency of the calf muscle pump (the main way that venous blood is able to get back up to the heart) by as much as 57%. Combine the effect of venous pooling from wearing such shoes with general circulatory fatigue over the course of a couple of tiring days in a row and swelling can be expected.”
The specialist concluded, “I’ve seen patients in a similar situation with similarly demanding schedules have a presentation from this particular combination. This is what I believe I’m seeing in her pictures.”
