Natalie Harp’s estranged brother has publicly criticized the White House aide’s relationship with President Trump, calling it “very unhealthy” and describing her as “just like his fan club.” Preston Harp, 38, made the comments in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, marking the first time a family member has openly challenged the nature of Natalie’s devotion to the 80-year-old president.
In the interview, Preston called Trump a “national embarrassment” and expressed shock at his sister’s decision to work for the president. “I don’t understand why my sister, or anyone, could want to work for Trump,” Preston said. He only discovered his sister’s employment in March 2023 when a friend showed him a Daily Mail article about Trump’s “glamorous new assistant.”
The siblings have not spoken since their father’s death in July 2020. Preston said the family disagreed sharply on how to handle the tragedy: while he disclosed their father’s suicide to extended family, their mother and Natalie wanted to say he had died in his sleep. “It’s hard to believe that’s my sister and my mom,” Preston told the outlet. “I can’t connect with that vibe, so I’m just going to let it be.”
Preston described a childhood divided by religion and politics. Growing up in California, the siblings were home-schooled by their parents, with their mother taking the lead using Christian textbooks. Preston characterized their mother as “extremely conservative” and “deeply religious,” while Natalie was a dutiful child who followed their mother’s instructions. Preston, by contrast, rebelled—listening to rock music, skateboarding, and reading authors like Carl Sagan and Jack Kerouac. He said his mother even forced him to throw away his Pokémon cards, which she viewed as demonic. Their father, Robert, a professor at evangelical Biola University in California, was more supportive of Preston’s free spirit.
The relationship between Harp and Trump has drawn increasing scrutiny since a new book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan revealed the depth of her devotion. “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump,” released this week, details adoring letters Harp wrote and left in Trump’s personal spaces. One letter reportedly read, “You are all that matters to me.” The book also reveals that Trump privately told his staff that Harp “was the only one who loved him as much as his wife and his kids” and that she would “never leave” him.
Harp, 34, serves as Trump’s executive assistant and has access to his Truth Social account. She earned the nickname “human printer” because she constantly follows Trump around with a portable printer, supplying him with printed copies of emails, news articles, and other documents. Her close relationship with the president has raised concerns even within the Secret Service, which reportedly viewed her fixation on Trump as a potential security risk, according to Michael Wolff’s 2024 book “All or Nothing: How Trump Recaptured America.”
Preston now lives in Nicaragua, where he has been working with peace activist S. Brian Willson, an 85-year-old Vietnam veteran who was designated a domestic terror suspect by the Reagan administration. Preston moved to the Central American country in 2023, describing it as “the first I’d felt at peace since my dad died.” He lives in a $60-a-month room in a suburb of Managua and has said he has no desire to reconnect with his sister or their mother, and no plans to return to the United States.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not comment on the family dynamics but called Harp “one of the most loyal and hardest working aides on President Trump’s team.” Natalie Harp did not respond to requests for comment.
Sources
- The Daily Beast — Preston Harp’s comments calling Trump a “national embarrassment” and his sister’s relationship “very unhealthy,” details of their family estrangement and childhood
- Daily Mail — Exclusive interview with Preston Harp covering family background, father’s death, his sister’s employment, and current life in Nicaragua
- New York Times — Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s book “Regime Change” and its revelations about Natalie Harp’s letters and Trump’s comments about her
- People.com — Details about Harp’s adoring letters to Trump from the “Regime Change” book
- Ballotpedia — Natalie Harp’s official title and salary as Special Assistant and Executive Assistant to the President
