British authorities are searching for an American MAGA influencer who once vied for a role as Donald Trump’s press secretary, after she and her partner were accused of carrying out a racially charged assault in central London earlier this fall. The case has drawn international attention not only because of her political prominence in pro-Trump circles, but also because of the details of the alleged attack and the couple’s swift departure from the scene.
Melissa Rein Lively, 40, and her partner, Philip Ostermann, are wanted by the British Transport Police (BTP) in connection with an incident at London’s Bond Street station on October 11. According to police, a 34-year-old woman was assaulted and sprayed with a substance believed to be pepper spray — a weapon that is illegal in the United Kingdom. The victim was with her sister and two young children.
Authorities said the confrontation began when a pushchair carrying one of the children accidentally bumped into Rein Lively as the couple entered the busy station, a few blocks from Selfridges and Hyde Park.
Investigators say Ostermann responded by shouting racist abuse at the family before Rein Lively allegedly grabbed the victim by the hair. When the woman tried to defend herself, Ostermann “pulled out a small bottle” and sprayed the substance toward her and her children, police said. The pair fled before officers arrived.
Possession of pepper spray can carry a sentence of up to six months in prison under U.K. law, and police say the severity of the incident prompted them to publicly name the couple this week. Rein Lively had been scheduled to speak days later at a private equity conference at Syon Park near Heathrow Airport, but it is unclear whether she attended.
Rein Lively, who runs the Arizona-based America First PR firm, has long cultivated a high-visibility role in MAGA media.
She became part of a broader aesthetic identified by French news outlet AFP as the “Mar-a-Lago face” — a look defined by beach-blonde hair, heavy makeup, and cosmetic injections. The outlet cited her alongside high-profile conservative women including Kristi Noem. Rein Lively told AFP she embraced the aesthetic because “that MAGA look really signals to other people that you’re on the same team.”
Her political trajectory has been turbulent. A former QAnon adherent, she rose to prominence during the pandemic after filming herself tearing down mask displays inside an Arizona store. She later claimed she had been “digitally brainwashed” and trapped in an online echo chamber. She also competed — unsuccessfully — for the role of Trump’s press secretary, telling Politico at the time that she was “a hair away from the White House.”
Ostermann, who is also wanted by British authorities, is listed as an associate director at the Munich-based firm Aequita, which maintains offices in Tokyo and South Carolina. His profile page on the company’s website currently directs to an error page.
London police say the investigation remains open and active as they work to locate both suspects.
