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Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign faced swift criticism Thursday after launching an online attack directed at White House aide Natalie Harp, marking the second such incident targeting the spouses of Trump administration officials within a week. The Michigan Democratic Senate nominee’s campaign had previously attacked second lady Usha Vance in similar fashion following President Donald Trump’s declaration to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America during trade tensions with Canada.
The El-Sayed campaign posted a doctored image of the official White House webpage featuring first lady Melania Trump, with her name crossed out and replaced with Harp’s name. The post accompanied commentary questioning the renaming of government landmarks, prompting immediate pushback from conservative voices on social media platforms.
GOP communicator Matt Whitlock dismissed the effort as ineffective, while journalist James David Dickson suggested the campaign’s strategy was counterproductive. Conservative advocacy group Michigan Forward and political commentator Melik Abdul characterized the posts as offensive, with some accusing the campaign of sexism and misogyny.
Harp, a longtime Trump supporter credited with crediting his first-term “right to try” order for her recovery from bone cancer, joined the second Trump administration as a presidential aide. She has recently drawn intense media scrutiny and online speculation regarding her professional relationship with the president.
In a separate weekend post responding to Vice President JD Vance’s comments about his grandfather, El-Sayed referenced second lady Usha Vance, who is of Indian descent, drawing additional criticism. The El-Sayed campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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