Former Obama adviser David Axelrod criticized Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) on Wednesday for invoking President Donald Trump aide Natalie Harp in a viral speech, arguing the personal reference distracted from an otherwise powerful attack on the president.
“No one has been more consistently eloquent or incisive in exposing @realDonaldTrump than @Ossoff,” Axelrod wrote on X. “The paragraph from his weekend speech that has gotten so much attention was a brutal takedown.”
But Axelrod took issue with two words in Ossoff’s remarks.
“Two words in it, ‘with Natalie’ seemed gratuitous and unnecessary,” Axelrod wrote. “They juiced the virality of it, I’m sure. Probably thrilled some in the base, who figured it was just giving Trump a taste of his own nasty medicine. But they distracted and detracted from the power of the message.”
Axelrod was referring to remarks Ossoff delivered Sunday at a campaign rally in Atlanta, where the Georgia Democrat attacked Trump over his handling of the war with Iran.
“While the sailors on the Lincoln fight his war, while he fruitlessly drains our munitions and oil reserves, the president sleeps through his meetings, he golfs, and trades stocks,” Ossoff said. “See, he doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace, gifted by the Emir of Qatar.”
The reference was to Harp, Trump’s 35-year-old executive assistant and a longtime member of his inner circle who frequently travels with the president. Harp was among a small group of aides who accompanied Trump during a secretive aircraft switch in Turkey last month amid concerns about a potential Iranian assassination attempt.
The remark quickly went viral and drew backlash from Trump allies, who accused Ossoff of making a sexist insinuation about Harp’s relationship with the president. Trump also responded, calling Ossoff a “Pee-wee Herman look-alike.”
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Ossoff was pressed about the comment on Monday by former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki during an appearance on Ms Now. Asked why he specifically mentioned Harp, Ossoff instead focused on the broader group surrounding Trump, saying the president is “surrounded by sycophants” who are unwilling to challenge him.
The exchange comes as Ossoff, who is seeking a second term against Republican Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), has adopted an increasingly combative posture toward Trump ahead of the November midterm elections. While recent polling has shown Ossoff with an advantage, Georgia remains highly competitive: Trump carried the state in 2024, and the Cook Political Report rates the race Lean Democrat, meaning Ossoff is favored, but the contest remains competitive.