Natalie Barr has revealed the secrets to surviving gruelling hours covering the US presidential election.
The Australian Sunrise host, 56, has been working long shifts while fronting Channel Seven’s election coverage live from Washington DC.
She covered the lead-up to the historic election and was live on the scene when Donald Trump regained the White House after winning over Kamala Harris.
On Wednesday afternoon, Natalie shared a video of herself setting up on a rooftop in Washington DC for her final day of election coverage and revealed she has been consuming a special drink to help get her through the long, hot days.
Natalie has been putting electrolyte sachets into her water to give her extra energy while reporting outside on the boiling hot days in DC.
‘Operation hydralyte in the water. It’s 27 degrees on our rooftop location today, going to be here for a few hours,’ she explained.
The sachets aim to prevent dehydration as they help to replace water and electrolytes in the body quickly.
Natalie also revealed she had a huge bag of snacks on hand, including crisps and boxes of cereal bars.
Natalie Barr has revealed the secrets to surviving gruelling hours covering the US presidential election
‘Got our snack attack in here,’ she went on.
‘Guess what I brought from home? Sarah Di Lorenzo, the choc peanut caramel, I brought a whole box.’
Trump regained the White House on Wednesday after being declared the winner of the 2024 U.S. presidential election at around 5.30am local time.
It takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency and Trump has currently gained 295 to Harris’ 226, with some states still yet to declare their final counts.
Trump became the first president in over 130 years – and only the second in history – to win a non-consecutive second term.
He left office in 2021 on the back of claims that he had incited an assault on the U.S. Capitol building, and was convicted earlier this year on multiple counts of business fraud.
After his win, Natalie suggested Anthony Albanese might need to apologise to Trump after footage emerged of him saying the politician ‘scared the sh** out of him.
On Wednesday, Natalie took to Instagram to give an insight into her busy schedule during the election and how she was getting through it with the help of hydralyte sachets and snacks
Trump regained the White House on Wednesday after being declared the winner of the 2024 U.S. presidential election at around 5.30am local time
The Aussie Prime Minister made the remarks when he was the opposition transport and infrastructure spokesman in 2017, but they resurfaced this week ahead of Trump’s overnight victory.
Natalie spoke to Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Thursday morning and asked whether the PM had personally called to congratulate the President-elect.
‘When he calls him, will he say, ”Look, I’m really sorry, Donald, for those [comments] years ago [when] I said you scare the sh** out of me?”‘ she asked.
Senator Wong replied that the PM would concentrate on Australia’s strategic partnership with the US rather than his personal comments.
‘I think they’ll probably focus on the issues critical to Australia’s interest, obviously AUKUS and we’ve been pleased to see bipartisan support for that,’ he said.
The AUKUS deal is a $368billion security pact between Australia, the US and the UK that will deliver a fleet of nuclear submarines to Australia from 2040.
Natalie usually fronts Sunrise alongside Matt Shirvington but she has been absent from the studio while reporting from the United States.
Her absence prompted longtime Sunrise fans to speculate that a career change could be on the horizon for Natalie, suggesting she might soon be stepping down.
Viewers shared their support for stand-in Monique Wright as they praised her for her stint guest hosting and claimed she would be a good replacement if Natalie leaves.
‘Monique is so excellent – I love how much they use her on the weekday show now,’ one fan gushed on Media Spy.
‘Could she be next [to become host] and Nat be retiring soon?’ someone asked.
Natalie usually fronts Sunrise alongside Matt Shirvington but she has been absent from the studio while reporting from the US with Monique Wright taking her place in Australia
‘I think the eventual replacement will come in the form of someone younger like a Sarah Greenhalgh or Teegan Dolling (down the line of course),’ one added.
However, one dedicated Sunrise enthusiast dismissed the rumours as they didn’t appear convinced.
‘I don’t see Nat retiring soon,’ they insisted.
‘Sunrise is just doing what they’ve always done – building a strong b-team so presenters can slot easily in and out without missing a beat.
‘While I think Mon is great, I personally think she’s happier on weekends and just filling in where needed.’
Natalie has been in the hosting chair at Sunrise since 2021, following Samantha Armytage’s resignation.
