Saturday Night Live just introduced its take on famous Donald Trump sycophant Natalie Harp—and it’s terrifying.
The iconic sketch comedy series kicked off its 52nd season on Saturday with a cold open featuring Trump (played once again by James Austin Johnson) talking to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (played by returning guest Ramy Youssef), only for the two to be interrupted by an unsettling appearance from Harp.
“Natalie, I didn’t realize you were in New York,” Trump said.
Harp, played by cast member Ashley Padilla, responded giddily, “Oh, I wasn’t. I ran here from D.C., Weapons-style.”
Harp, 35, is Trump’s extremely devoted personal aide, who has faced continued media scrutiny over her seemingly fanatical loyalty to the president.
Padilla leaned hard into the idea that Harp is obsessed with Trump, even doing an impression of the possessed villain from the hit horror movie Obsession.
After making a series of unsettling faces, Harp said, “I’m kidding, I’m totally normal,” but neither Trump nor Mamdani seemed reassured.
Harp has faced criticism not just for her intense loyalty to Trump, but also over her apparent influence on his decisions. On Sunday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Harp pushed Trump to go through with banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House press pool.
Harp drew further scrutiny in August when the Daily Beast published in full the bizarrely intimate letters she wrote to Trump in 2023, in which she says she is “unworthy” of him.
“You are all that matters to me,” Harp wrote to Trump. “I don’t want to ever let you down.”
SNL’s Harp proved to be just as devoted. At one point, she took Youssef’s Mamdani aside and told him with a scary smile, “If you hurt [Trump], I will end you.”
Mamdani seemed annoyed but largely unfazed by both Trump and Harp’s behavior. When Harp left the room, the 34-year-old mayor used Trump’s unexpected man-crush to his advantage.
When Trump asked if he could stay with Mamdani in New York, the mayor replied, “Only if you give us $21 billion for a housing project in Queens.”
When Trump said no, Mamdani offered, “What if I follow you back on Instagram?”
Trump quickly replied, “It’s a done deal.”
