Preston Harp, the estranged brother of White House aide Natalie Harp, says her relationship with President Donald Trump is “very unhealthy,” criticizing it as a kind of “fan club.” His comments land as Natalie Harp draws fresh scrutiny tied to her role in Trum
When Preston Harp talks about his sister’s life in the White House orbit, he does not sound confused about what he sees—he sounds alarmed by it.
In an interview published Thursday, the 38-year-old estranged brother of White House aide Natalie Harp said her bond with President Donald Trump is “very unhealthy.” He also told the Daily Mail that she is “just like his fan club,” and went further, describing Trump as a “national embarrassment.”
The comments come amid a fresh wave of attention on Natalie Harp’s working relationship with the president—scrutiny intensified by a new book titled “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump,” which portrays her as unusually close to the machinery of Trump’s messaging.
Natalie Harp. who has kept a relatively low public profile compared to other members of the Trump administration. joined Trump’s communications team during his 2024 presidential campaign. After he was sworn in for a second term in January 2025, she was named his executive assistant. But her ties to Trump long predate that office.
In 2019, she appeared on Fox News and praised Trump for his support of the Right to Try Act, which she said allowed her to access experimental treatments for Stage 2 bone cancer. The following year, the president invited her to speak at the Republican National Convention.
Now, her role in Trump’s daily inbox and briefing room is being put under a sharper light. The new book—written by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan—says Harp regularly supplies Trump with paper copies of positive media coverage. In the book, Trump and his associates reportedly dub her the “human printer.”.
The co-authors also share what they describe as the contents of several letters Harp wrote to Trump. Some of those letters’ details had previously appeared in a 2024 New York Times article soon after the president won his second term.
In one letter, Harp wrote, “You are all that matters to me,” according to the report. In another, she proclaimed, “I don’t ever want to let you down,” before thanking Trump for being her “Guardian and Protector in this Life.”
Preston Harp’s interview underscores how far removed he says he feels from the relationship he’s being asked to interpret. He told the Daily Mail that he has been estranged from both Natalie Harp and their mother, Jill Harp, following the 2020 death of his father, Robert Harp.
He also said he “had no idea” that Natalie had begun working for the president’s team until 2023—when the Daily Mail referred to her as Trump’s “glamorous new assistant.” He described the moment as disorienting. saying it “just kind of caused some cognitive dissonance. ” and again returning to his core disbelief: “I don’t understand why my sister. or anyone could want to work for Trump.”.
Describing his own upbringing. Preston Harp said Natalie’s California upbringing was “extremely conservative” and “deeply religious.” He said his description of their home life centered on his mother’s Christianity. saying her focus included “preaching about hellfire. ” and that “Natalie just kind of followed my mom.”.
The White House did not respond to Preston Harp’s remarks. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not comment to the Daily Mail on any of Preston’s statements, but she praised Natalie Harp as one of the “most loyal and hardest working aides on President Trump’s team.”
The criticism did not stop with Preston Harp. His brother’s account has already drawn pushback from prominent conservatives. including podcast host Katie Miller—married to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. On X, Miller wrote: “Natalie doesn’t do interviews or talk to the media. This is too far and unwarranted.”.
By the time the dust settles on the headlines. the disagreement is stark: one side frames Natalie Harp as a loyal. hardworking aide central to Trump’s communications; the other side portrays her closeness as excessive and emotionally unhealthy. And for Preston Harp—speaking from Nicaragua. where he has lived since 2023—what looks like an administrative relationship from the outside is. to him. something more troubling.
Natalie Harp Preston Harp Donald Trump White House aide executive assistant Right to Try Act Stage 2 bone cancer Regime Change Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump Maggie Haberman Jonathan Swan Karoline Leavitt Katie Miller
So basically it’s a fan club??
Daily Mail says it’s unhealthy and I guess that makes it true. But also like… who even is Natalie Harp besides being near Trump’s people. The whole “paper copies” thing sounds weird to me though, like why wouldn’t they just email.
Wait so her brother’s complaining but also she was on Fox? I’m confused like was she sick or something with bone cancer, or is that a different Harp story. Either way, “fan club” seems dramatic, but if she’s in the inbox and briefing room that’s kinda… a lot. Also that book sounds like it was written by people who already decided the ending.
“National embarrassment” from the estranged brother… ok sure. Meanwhile Trump has been the national embarrassment since forever, so I don’t really get the surprise. The Right to Try Act stuff is whatever, but I swear they keep making it sound like she’s whispering into his ear 24/7. And the paper copies part—wasn’t there some rule about records being requested or something? Either way, this is all politics theater and it’ll blow over until the next scandal.