Trump aide Natalie Harp’s brother weighs in on her ‘infatuation’ with the president

WASHINGTON, DC: The relationship between President Donald Trump and his close aide Natalie Harp has come under fresh scrutiny after her estranged brother, Preston Harp, offered his own explanation for her strong loyalty to the president.

Speaking to Erin Burnett on CNN’s ‘OutFront’ on Tuesday, August 18, Preston Harp said he did not believe his sister’s reported “infatuation” with Trump was based on physical attraction, but instead linked it to the way she views the president and her personal history with him.

Preston Harp explains Natalie Harp’s Trump loyalty

Preston Harp said his sister’s admiration for Trump goes back to the values she grew up with and the way she views the president.

He argued that Trump represents many of the ideas their mother taught them while growing up, saying Natalie “unfortunately, didn’t break out of that delusion that my mom raised us with.”

He then made his point about her relationship with Trump more directly.

“So I think that’s where her infatuation for Trump comes from, honestly, because I don’t think it’s a physical attraction,” Preston said. He added, “Let’s get real, you know, like, personally, I don’t think so.”

Preston also appeared to struggle at times to keep his composure during the interview, cracking up and losing his train of thought while talking about his sister and her closeness to Trump.

Natalie Harp’s Trump role draws fresh attention

Natalie Harp is a close aide to Trump and frequently travels with the president.

Her profile received another burst of attention after she was among the officials taken off Air Force One with Trump during a secret flight to Turkey amid an Iranian threat.

Her name had also been brought into the political conversation by Sen Jon Ossoff, who criticized Trump’s priorities and referred to Harp as the president’s “security blanket.”

Ossoff said he had heard the aide described that way and argued that some senior White House officials were telling Trump what he wanted to hear rather than what he needed to hear.

“And the nation is at war. And we cannot afford that,” Ossoff said. CNN’s Burnett also noted that Harp has been described as Trump’s “human printer.”

Preston Harp urges Natalie Harp to ‘wake up’

Despite being estranged from his sister, Preston Harp said he still hopes Natalie will eventually change her outlook. He addressed her directly during the interview, saying he hopes she “changes” and “wakes up.”

Preston also pointed to a deeply personal reason for Natalie’s loyalty to Trump.

She previously credited the president with helping her access treatment after she was diagnosed with bone cancer. “She’s his biggest fan. And so that’s probably why he likes her,” Preston said.

He then suggested that the gratitude Natalie feels toward Trump may explain much of their relationship.

“And like, she’s good looking. She’s got a good personality. Like, I don’t know…I mean, she thinks that he saved, he thinks that he saved your life, so like, somebody living with that kind of gratitude, that must feel pretty good,” he said.