How Trump aide Natalie Harp’s family broke apart — and polarized - The Washington Post

A family tragedy in July 2020 set off a chain of events that has left the relatives of a former White House aide divided and publicly visible. On July 17, 2020, a man named Preston Harp received a phone call from his sister, Natalie Harp, who told him to come to their home in Irvine, California, because of an emergency involving their father. When Preston arrived, police cars were already surrounding the residence. He entered the house and discovered that his father, Bob Harp, a professor at a Christian university, had taken his own life.

Bob Harp had been experiencing severe despondency, which his son said was exacerbated by the social isolation imposed during the COVID‑19 pandemic. According to Preston, his father had expressed that he was “not doing okay” during a brief interaction the day before, when Preston visited the home to repay a loan. The autopsy report later confirmed the cause of death as suicide, though the family chose not to disclose the details publicly.

The death deepened existing rifts within the Harp family. Preston had been estranged from his sister and mother for several years, but he remained close to his father. After the funeral, Preston’s relationship with his sister and mother deteriorated further, and he eventually left the United States. He relocated to Nicaragua, where he became involved with the Sandinista movement, describing his shift as a form of “radicalisation” driven by personal and political disillusionment.

Natalie Harp, who later served as an aide to former President Donald Trump, and their mother have kept the circumstances surrounding Bob Harp’s death private. They have not publicly discussed the cause of the suicide, and they have not commented on Preston’s political activities abroad. The family’s differing responses to the tragedy have been noted as a source of public and media interest, highlighting how personal loss can intersect with broader political narratives.

Preston Harp provided the autopsy findings and a detailed account of the events surrounding his father’s death to a national newspaper, which published the information in a feature on the family’s fragmentation. The report includes his recollection of the phone call, the police presence, and his observations of his father’s mental state in the days leading up to the suicide.

The Harp family’s experience illustrates how a single personal tragedy can lead to divergent paths among surviving members, with one sibling entering the political sphere in the United States and the other aligning with a revolutionary movement abroad, while the remaining relatives maintain a low public profile.