STAGE FIVE CLINGER

Why Uncle Donald Doesn’t Want to Shake Off Natalie

Trump’s niece has a theory for why her uncle is so close to his 35-year-old personal aide.

Donald Trump’s niece has pulled back the curtain on why her uncle delights in the company of his 35-year-old “human printer.”

Mary Trump tells The Daily Beast Podcast that Natalie Harp, the president’s close personal assistant, “has the qualities of a stalker,” but her 80-year-old uncle does not seem to mind.

“Every single relationship Donald has is transactional,” Mary tells host Joanna Coles. “It should become obvious to him that, you know, his children don’t care about him any more than he cares about them. And, you know, those relationships are determined purely by who’s getting what of whom.”

“We’ve also seen cracks in the inner circle,” she explained, pointing to former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Mary described Leavitt, 29, as “one of the most loyal, sycophantic, and disgraceful propagandists in the administration.” She said Leavitt was “willing to lie for him” and shared Trump’s rude, disrespectful attitude.

However, Leavitt announced her surprise departure from the White House in August—saying she wanted to spend more time with her growing family. Two months later, she announced she was joining Fox News as an on-air contributor.

“But even she had limits, because he was willing to get her killed on Air Force One,” she explained. “Karoline Leavitt did not get an invitation to come on the catering cart with him. And I think we see that in other people too.”

She went on: “There are limits when people are sycophantic enablers. Even they have limits to the amount they are willing to be humiliated or have their lives in danger. Natalie Harp is a different type entirely. There’s something seriously wrong with her.”

“I think there’s something psychologically wrong with her,” she continued, referring to Harp. “She needs help. She has the qualities of a stalker.”

While working for Trump in 2023, Harp wrote him personal, fawning letters that the Daily Beast first revealed in full. In them, Harp called the president her “Guardian and Protector” and said she never wanted to let him down.

Mary continued: “It’s the only case I’ve ever seen in which the stalking victim has welcomed being stalked. And I think that is in part because Donald is not getting the attention he needs, because nobody cares about him—which makes sense because he doesn’t care about anybody.”

However, Mary said that Harp is “willing to fill that role.”

Play Video

Trump has rarely traveled without Harp in tow in recent months. The fawning aide was one of the three aides chosen to accompany the president on his secret military jet when leaving Turkey in July, after the Secret Service deemed credible threats to Air Force One.

Harp’s constant presence has become a major concern among a growing number of Americans, with more than 40 percent of respondents saying in a September poll that they have questions about her role in the administration.

Mary says she cannot believe the Harp story is not even bigger than it is.

“Nobody seems to have a problem with it,” she said of the relationship between Harp and Trump. “If... an 81-year-old Democratic president was hanging out with a 35-year-old woman and spending more time with her than he did anybody else in his family, I’m pretty sure there would be a problem. But this is a different world we live in now.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

New episodes of The Daily Beast Podcast are released every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday on YouTube, and on other podcast platforms the next morning. Follow our new feed on your favorite podcast platform at beast.pub/dailybeastpod and subscribe on YouTube to watch full episodes.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Vic VerbalaitisNight Breaking News Reporter

The Daily Beast PodcastPodcast

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.