Trump aide Natalie Harp’s brother reacts to report she climbed into SUV trunk to accompany President; recalls her letter to George Bush

Natalie Harp’s estranged brother has reacted with surprise and concern to a report that the White House aide once climbed into the trunk of an SUV after being told there was no room for her in President Donald Trump’s motorcade.

The incident, reportedly dating to October 2023, has drawn fresh attention to Harp’s unusually close access to Trump and her position within the president’s inner circle. Their relationship has become a subject of political and media scrutiny in recent weeks. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) recently criticized the president, saying Trump was more interested in spending time with Harp and building the White House ballroom than doing his job.

Natalie Harp’s brother reacts after hearing SUV trunk story

Harp, who serves as Trump’s executive assistant, was reportedly preparing to accompany the president when staffers told her there was no available seat in the motorcade.

According to a CNN report published Tuesday, August 18, the incident occurred as Trump was preparing to leave Trump Tower for a New York City courthouse. Two sources told the outlet that Harp insisted Trump had personally asked her to accompany him, leading to a “screaming match” in the lobby.

She ultimately climbed into the trunk of an SUV, CNN reported, citing the two sources and a photograph. The unusual account was raised during Preston Harp’s appearance on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront” on Tuesday.

Preston, who has been estranged from his sister for several years, burst out laughing when host Erin Burnett mentioned the story, saying he “didn’t even know about that.”

But eventually his reaction turned a bit more serious about the 80-year-old President and his aide.

“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.”

Why does Natalie Harp remain so close to Trump?

Preston also offered his interpretation of his sister’s intense loyalty to Trump, rejecting the idea that it was driven by physical attraction.

He said the relationship was more likely rooted in the conservative values with which the siblings were raised.

"Well, 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," Preston Harp said in the CNN interview.

He said he believes Natalie never moved away from that worldview and sees Trump as embodying the principles their mother taught them.

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

Preston also said he had not personally seen a letter Harp wrote to Trump, although he knew she had previously written to President George Bush during the Iraq War. She never received a response, he said.