'I'm Donald Trump's relative and know reason he keeps Natalie Harp close'
'I'm Donald Trump's relative and know reason he keeps Natalie Harp close'
Robin CottleThu, October 8, 2026 at 10:25 AM UTC
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Donald Trump's relationship with aide Natalie Harp has set tongues wagging -Credit:Getty Images (Getty Images)
President Donald Trump's loyal aide Natalie Harp has been a loyal presence by his side for much of his second term in the White House. She is one of the most trusted members of his inner circle and has high levels of access due to her constant proximity around Trump.
Harp has earned the nickname 'the human printer' in some quarters. This is due to her habit of following the president around with a portable printer, printing off favorable articles for him to read.
In the bestselling book Regime Change, by journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Trump is quoted as telling staff Harp "will never leave me," such is her devotion. It comes as Trump's aides reportedly "tested" the mood with a "secret question" as Harp was seen "taking abuse".
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The questions of just why Harp, 35, is so devoted to the president, and why they are so close, has left many people stumped. But one of Trump's own relatives who knows him better than most thinks she might know the brutal truth.
Mary Trump is the president's niece, and the daughter of Trump's late brother, Fred Trump jr. She has been a vocal critic of Trump throughout his presidencies and is also a trained clinical psychologist.
Donald Trump's niece thinks she knows why the president keeps Harp close -Credit:AFP via Getty Images
She thinks that all her uncle's relationships are "transactional" and because the president is "not getting the attention he needs" from anyone else, such as his family or children, his aide Harp helps fill that need.
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Mary told the Daily Beast podcast: "Natalie Harp is a different type entirely. Donald is not getting the attention he needs because nobody cares about him. Which makes sense, because he doesn't care about anybody.
"And she is willing to fill that role. It is inappropriate, it's wrong, I think he's taking advantage. Nobody seems to have a problem with it.
"If an 80-year-old Democratic president was hanging out with a 35-year-old woman and spending more time with her than anybody else in his family, I'm pretty sure there would be a problem. But this is a different world we're living in."
Trump has repeatedly described Harp as someone who is incredible loyal to him. He reportedly said she is probably the only person who "loves him as much" as his wife, Melania.
Donald Trump and Natalie Harp -Credit:The Washington Post via Getty Images
In Regime Change, Trump is quoted as saying: "All you will go off and make money. She'll never leave me."
Mary said that even the previously loyal Karoline Leavitt, the former White House press secretary, left the administration earlier this year.
She continued: "Every single relationship Donald has is transactional. His children don't care about him anymore than he cares about them.
"Those relationships are determined purely by who's getting what out of who. We've also seen cracks in the inner circle. Karoline Leavitt, one of the most loyal and sycophantic in the administration.
"But even she has limits. When people are sycophantic enablers, even they have limits to the amount they are willing to be humiliated."
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
