The brother of Donald Trump’s fawning aide Natalie Harp revealed that her fascination with the president began long ago.
The executive assistant’s estranged brother, Preston Harp, appeared on CNN’s OutFront on Tuesday to share his perspective on his 35-year-old sister’s sudden thrust into the media spotlight.
Host Erin Burnett showed a clip of Harp saying Trump was her “first exposure to politics,” but her brother disputed that account, saying he believes his sister’s political leanings stem from their upbringing under their devout Christian mother.
“My mom raised us with the idea that American exceptionalism was the correct way of looking at things—that the United States is the boss of the world and that slavery was normal back then, so people weren’t bad because they had slaves,” he explained.
“Honestly, Trump wants to take all those books out of schools. He wants to rewrite history,” Preston continued. “I think my sister unfortunately didn’t break out of that delusion my mom raised us with. Trump is everything my mom taught us to respect.”
“I think that’s where her infatuation with Trump comes from, honestly, because I don’t think it’s a physical attraction. Let’s get real,” he added.
Preston said that his sister is the president’s “biggest fan,” which is why Trump, 80, keeps her so close at hand.
“Trump’s best friends are people who are his fan club,” he said. “That’s probably why he likes her. And, like, she’s good-looking. She’s got a good personality... She thinks that he saved her life, so, like, somebody living with that kind of gratitude, that must feel pretty good.”
Burnett also mentioned a wild story about Harp riding in the trunk of an SUV to remain close to Trump after there was no room for her in the car. Upon hearing the story, Preston burst out laughing, saying he “didn’t even know about that.”
“It’s actually kind of sad—that’s obsession,” he said. “That’s an unhealthy obsession with someone if you’re going to jump into the trunk of their car.”
On the topic of Harp’s love letters to the president, which include messages such as “You’re all that matters to me,” and “I want to bring you joy,” Preston revealed that they aren’t the first letters his sister had written to a president.
“Basically, I’d say since she was about 16, she’s had an obsession with—gosh, how do I explain this?” he said. “She’s written letters to other presidents, let me put it that way. And so, like, her dream came true finally.”
Preston noted that he hadn’t seen the letter himself, but knew that she had written to President George Bush during the Iraq War. She never received a response, he said.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment on Preston’s remarks.
Harp’s brother offered a final plea to his sister, saying that he hopes she changes and “realize that everybody on this Earth is part of a human family and that no country is better than any other country.”
“The history of the United States is unfortunate... and it shouldn’t be rewritten,” he added. “We all have to come together and try to make it better.”
