The estranged brother of President Donald Trump's top aide, Natalie Harp, revealed why his sister has formed an "emotional bond" with the president, The Daily Beast reported on Wednesday.
Preston Harp told The Beast that his 34-year-old sister "was distant from their late father and was always looking for a replacement."
"The way my sister interacted with and treated my dad throughout the years, it was like she wished she had a different dad," he told The Beast.
Natalie has expressed a deep belief in "America First."
"While much of the media has focused on questioning whether her relationship is something scandalous, that is not where my mind goes personally. Maybe it is because I just can’t imagine something like that, but to me this is 100 percent an infatuation based on an unfortunate shared ideology of U.S. exceptionalism," Preston told The Beast.
"I think that she does see Trump as a kind of father figure because he embodies the doctrine of American exceptionalism," he added.
Natalie and Preston Harp's father, Robert Harp, died by suicide in 2020.
He apparently did not "embody American exceptionalism in the least," Preston told The Beast, explaining that his sister had a "yearning" for another father.
"Though I moved out at 18, I remember many Christmases, Easters, and Father’s Day and Mother’s Day get-togethers where I noticed this," he said.
Trump has reportedly told those in his inner circle that Harp will "never leave" him. She has worked closely with the president and has been referred to as "the human printer."