S7E38 – The 2KENS – When Trumpism Comes Home: Faith, Family, and the Politics of Division

What happens when politics becomes more than politics – when it shapes our identity, our faith, and our relationships with the people we love?

In this episode of Two Kens, my longtime co-host, Ken Fong, and I begin with a lighter subject: Ken Fong’s previous interview with Arasha Lalani, the Indian-American actress and comedian known professionally as Arasha, has gone viral. We reflect on what makes a conversation come alive. Acting and preaching, we suggest, are not monologues. At their best, both are active, engaging dialogues that invite us to listen, respond, and discover something new.

From there, we turn to a more sobering subject: Natalie Harp, one of Donald Trump’s most devoted supporters, often called his “human printer.” Recent reporting about Natalie and her family raises difficult questions about the intersection of faith, politics, grief, and family relationships.

Natalie’s father, Robert Harp, was a respected business professor at Biola University who, according to her brother Preston’s accounts cited in reporting, was skeptical of Trump’s claims to Christian faith. Following his tragic death by suicide, Natalie’s political profile grew. Her brother pursued a very different ideological path. Their story offers a glimpse into the complicated ways political commitments can intersect with family life.

As two former evangelical pastors, Ken and I explore the tensions between traditional evangelical convictions and MAGA politics, the challenges of discussing mental health and grief in religious communities, and the human longing for belonging, certainty, and protection.

We don’t presume to know all the private motivations behind this family’s experience. Instead, we ask what its story might help us understand about a nation increasingly divided by political identity.

Join us for a candid, compassionate conversation about faith, family, Trumpism, and the search for common ground.