Natalie Harp’s brother revealed how a tragedy tore their family apart.
Preston Harp, the brother of President Donald Trump’s fawning blonde aide, told the Los Angeles Times in a story published Sunday that his father’s death by suicide led to his estrangement from his sister.”
Preston said that when Harp was in her 20s, she moved to Irvine, California, with her parents. This was around the same time that she had been diagnosed with stage 2 bone cancer.
Harp’s father, Robert Harp, worked as a professor of business and later as the executive director of the Office of Innovation at the nearby private Christian institution Biola University.
However, in July 2020, Robert died by suicide at age 61 at the family’s home.
Preston told the Times that his mother, Jill Harp, wanted him to go along with the story that Robert had died in his sleep, but he refused—saying he didn’t want to minimize his dad’s pain.
“That was the last time I ever talked to my sister,” he said.
Preston told the outlet that he and his sister had been close as young children. Their mother homeschooled them and raised them on a biblical education rooted in conservative beliefs.
“We were raised with the idea that America was God’s gift to the world and it’s the only place that people really live in freedom,” he explained.
The family attended a Baptist megachurch in El Cajon, where Preston said his sister rarely engaged with other children her age, opting instead to hang around adults in the congregation.
“There would be like skateboarding demos, there would be cool stuff going on, but my sister was just with all the grown-ups, and she preferred it,” he told the Times.
However, as they aged, the two grew apart—as Preston leaned more toward progressive ideals while Harp remained influenced by their mother’s conservative teachings.
“I wasn’t really allowed to be in her life,” he said. “If we ever talked on the phone, my mom was listening to everything we’d say, and they were talking on the phone together with me on speakerphone.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Times’ story.
Harp, 35, skyrocketed into the public eye following Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff’s dig at Trump earlier this month. The senator said Trump would rather “travel with Natalie” than tend to his duties as president. The remark stoked a wave of backlash from Trump’s MAGA supporters.
Harp makes $150,000 a year in her capacity as Trump’s special assistant and executive assistant. But her admiration for her boss goes far beyond a typical working relationship.
In letters first published in full by the Daily Beast, Harp expressed her devotion to Trump, calling him her “Guardian and Protector” and saying that he was “all that matters” to her.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
