For more than a year, journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan have been trying, largely unsuccessfully, to raise awareness about the bizarre story of Donald Trump and his aide Natalie Harp. Shortly after the 2024 election, a New York Times reporter published a profile of the lithe blonde in her early 30s, along with a photo of her gazing lovingly at Trump, explaining how she had written him a love letter that included the words “You mean a lot to me.” Haberman was still trying to raise the issue during an Aug. 16 appearance on MS NOW, describing Harp as Trump’s “human fool.”
But ultimately, Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff mentioned Harp on the campaign trail, making much of the public aware of the troubling relationship. “He doesn’t want to do this job,” the senator said, rolling up the sleeves of his blue shirt. “He wanted to build his own ballroom and travel with Natalie in a seemingly defenseless flying palace given to him by the emir of Qatar.”
The White House’s defensive response was so egregious that it backfired, drawing even more attention to the relationship.
But it remains a mystery. Haberman, Swann and others kept talking about Harp, but it wasn’t until Ossoff said something that the White House truly lost its mind.
This reaction may have nothing to do with Ossoff’s comments, although they were elegantly constructed. No, this backlash is more about the messenger than the message. At 39, Ossoff is more than young. He is stunningly handsome. The boyish good looks of his early career have matured, closer to the old-fashioned charm of 1960s movie stars like Gregory Peck or Warren Beatty. Ossoff has a broad chest, bushy hair, a charming smile, a calm demeanor, a sharp sense of humor and a moral seriousness that is rare in politics — something not seen since Barack Obama. In other words, Ossoff can do it.
I’m talking about votes.
In other words, Ossoff was everything the 80-year-old president wanted him to be, but he wasn’t. Harp’s presence serves as a daily reminder to Trump and his staff of the president’s failings as a human being. Having a young, handsome, talented man mocking Trump’s emotional support aides must have stung him with particular precision. No one needs to tell the president or his staff that Ossoff feels good about himself, nor does he need full-time emotional support aides following him around, praising his every move.
Given how well-connected White House communications staff are, they may also know that Ossoff has become quite a thirsty trap, even among young women and gay men who don’t pay much attention to politics on social media. As 19th’s Grace Panetta recently explained, the Senator is a solid example of light-hearted crush content, albeit one he does unintentionally, much like the kind of content creators make to pay homage to movie stars like Timothée Chalamet or Tom Holland.
“Scroll through Instagram and TikTok and you’ll see Ossoff’s fan-edited videos “At campaign rallies and Senate hearings,” Panetta wrote, women jokingly praised Ossoff’s “slutty Atticus Finch persona” or predicted Ossoff would be “the hottest president of my lifetime.” A reporter from TMZ asked Ossoff if he suffers from “BDE,” which is not an abbreviation for “Big Dictionary Energy,” even though the senator appears to be very fond of the classic Oxford publication.
Ossoff’s sex appeal doesn’t just contrast with Trump’s oversized suits and ridiculous haircuts. He is also very different from those of his age in the Republican ranks who, like him, are widely viewed as potential 2028 presidential candidates. Vice President JD Vance, 42, is also the subject of much online content. But much of it depicts him in a comically unflattering light, with small dead eyes, oversized cheeks and a maniacal smile. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 55, is not mocked for his appearance, but he is often portrayed as a pathetic dismissal, a slow-thinking, spineless man who is of little use except as Trump’s scapegoat. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, 46, has a look that not even three gins for breakfast can take away from him. But with a little help from “Saturday Night Live’s” Colin Jost, he looked to most like a burly frat boy with a beer can crushed on his forehead. No one comes close to the fantastic treatment Ossoff received.
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This contrasting treatment is particularly interesting because the MAGA movement has insisted for years that they are restoring a more manly version of masculinity—supposedly to cure all the supposedly toxic feminism that WBNA-loving Democrats have inflicted on America. There are undoubtedly people who are impressed by all the workout videos MAGA leaders post, even though those viewers may not have much interaction with the people on Second Dates. But what all the right wing’s chest-beating and push-up contests really convey is overcompensation, rather than reclaiming some “lost” masculinity.
Ossoff’s relatively benign comments about Harp caused a meltdown on the right, but underneath it all lay a layer of male insecurity. Steven Cheung, the cantankerous White House communications director, tweeted: “Jon Jackoff has got to be the biggest loser in politics.” White House spokesman David Ingle called the senator a “cringeworthy, womanizing drama child.” Both men unwisely posted these insulting comments from the X account with their own photos. This convenient comparison leads observers to consider that in MAGA, every accusation is a confession in and of itself, which is often true. Likewise, Trump’s comparison of Ossoff to Pee Wee Herman, referring to a movie about someone older than the senator, only served to emphasize the president’s age and detachment from reality.
MAGA’s belief that masculinity is in decline is more a reflection of their personal fears and resentments than an accurate depiction of the world. Those who can act normal continue to do well, or as well as they can given the current economic conditions. Like many up-and-coming Democrats, including New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani and Michigan Senate candidate Dr. Abdul-Sayed, a large part of Ossoff’s appeal is that he possesses a relaxed masculinity, one that is content with women’s equality. MAGA influencers may deny it, but men who truly like and respect women tend to be more attractive to women and gay men.
Staying calm about your feminine power shows confidence. Insecure men demand that women be forced into a submissive role to make the man feel more powerful. This speaks to their inner belief that they can’t win without cheating. That’s loser energy, not the big-lexicon energy emanating from Ossoff and this new crop of young, energetic Democrats.
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