SNL introduces parody of Trump aide Natalie Harp in season opener

Saturday Night Live opened its 52nd season with a cold-open sketch that included a caricature of Natalie Harp, a longtime aide to President Donald Trump. In the segment, James Austin Johnson reprised his role as Trump, who was speaking with a fictionalized New York City mayor played by Ramy Youssef. The scene was interrupted by Harp, portrayed by cast member Ashley Padilla, who delivered a line about fleeing Washington, D.C.

The sketch emphasized Harp's perceived devotion to Trump, with Padilla mimicking a horror-film style impression and delivering lines that suggested extreme loyalty. At one point, the character warned the mayor that any harm to Trump would result in retaliation.

The portrayal follows recent media coverage of Harp, including a Wall Street Journal report that she advocated for the removal of several news outlets from the White House press pool and a Daily Beast publication of personal letters she wrote to Trump in 2023. Critics have highlighted concerns about her influence on the former president's decisions.

"If you hurt [Trump], I will end you," the character said in the sketch.

The sketch concluded with a comedic exchange between the fictional mayor and Trump about a housing project and social-media follow-backs.