They say that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. This might not hold true in the case of celebrities impersonating Former President Trump. The 45th President of the United States is a hugely polarizing figure. Love him or hate him, this man has been a fixture in popular culture long before his term as president. His wild antics and larger than life personality are ripe for satire and caricature. It’s why he played so well on his reality show The Apprentice. So if you are in the mood for some laughs and a good impersonation, check out the 10 on this list.
Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond was a Saturday Night Live cast member from 1995 to 2009. During his 14 seasons on the show, he dazzled with his impersonations. The Washington Post called him “the greatest impressionist in SNL history”. Hammond played Trump in the 90s on SNL before Alec Baldwin took over the role. Lorne Michaels, SNL creator, was the one who told Hammond he would not be playing the role anymore. Hammond did not take this well. He told The Washington Post: “I just started crying. In front of everyone. I couldn’t believe it. I was in shock, and I stayed in shock for a long time. Everything wiped out…and all of it was apparent to me in one breath. That ends me”. Donald Trump himself preferred Hammon’s impression to Baldwin’s, tweeting to SNL to “bring back Darrell Hammond, funnier and a far greater talent!”
Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin took over the role of Donald Trump on SNL from Darrell Hammond in 2016. Lorne Michaels believed his version of the role was what the show needed. Trump did not agree, tweeting: “Alec Baldwin, whose dying mediocre career was saved by his terrible impersonation of me on SNL, now says playing me was agony. Alec, it was agony for those who were forced to watch”. Baldwin continued to play Trump throughout his one term presidency.
Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx only recently added his name to the Donald Trump impersonator list, and he is remarkably good at it. While a guest on the podcast Rap Radar the actor started doing his version of Trump. Fellow guest Snoop Dogg and host Elliott Wilson could not hold back their laughter. Foxx and Snoop were on the podcast to promote their latest film project Day Shift. So if you ever wanted to hear “Trump” say “I love Snoop D O Double G. Great person” check out this clip.
Jimmy Fallon
Like most late night hosts, Jimmy Fallon had a lot of fun impersonating Trump on his show, The Tonight Show. Fallon did receive strong criticism from fans when he decided to have the actual then-presidential-candidate on his show. Fallon took this hard. He told The New York Times: “I’m a people pleaser. If there’s one bad thing on Twitter about me, it will make me upset. So, after this happened, I was devastated. I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just trying to have fun.”
Hillary Clinton
Trump’s political opponent Hillary Clinton did her “Trump” impersonation when she was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon during her presidential campaign. Trump was critical of her campaign’s use of teleprompters and scripted speeches as opposed to his style of off the cuff improved messaging. Hillary defended her actions saying she wanted to make sure she was clear and got her important message across to the voters. She managed to get in a couple of jabs at Trump to make her point.
Johnny Depp
During former President Trump’s campaign, Funny or Die created a satire biographical film based on his book The Art of the Deal. This time Johnny Depp played Trump. It is hard to believe it’s Johnny with the make-up and excellent performance. Special guest stars in the film include Ron Howard, Alfred Molina, and Patton Oswalt.
Dana Carvey
Even comedians need a break. Jimmy Kimmel recently took a little vacation from his show giving legendary SNL cast member Dana Carvey the chance to guest host. Carvey did a monologue in which he previewed the possibilities for the next 2024 presidential election. Carvey did double duty playing both current President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee former President Trump. As Trump he stated that gasoline was made from “dead dinosaur poop”. He wasn’t much nicer to President Biden having him say “monkeypox: it’s what’s for dinner.” Guillermo Rodriguez, who acted as moderator, summed it up by saying: “Goodnight, America. We are f*cked.”
Jon Stewart
In 2015, Jon Stewart crashed Stephen Colbert’s opening monologue for a very important reason. He was informing viewers about an upcoming vote for a bill that would continue to give health care to 9/11 first responders. Stewart attempts to do a heart-felt appeal directly into the camera, but Colbert stops him saying that he is boring. Colbert advises Stewart that to get any media attention he has to “trump” it up. This led to Stewart doing his version of Trump, even using cheetos as make-up to give himself that orange glow. Ironically, the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act was eventually reauthorized and signed into law by President Trump himself.
Dirk Nowitzki
The sports world also has its own Donald Trump impersonators. Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki made a comical commercial for the team as Trump. His goal was to “make Dallas great again”. Its low production value and Nowitzki’s horrible wig make this a must see. Nowitzki’s Trump is also very German, so it’s unique.
Taran Killam
Another SNL actor who played Trump before Alec Baldwin was Taran Killam, who joined the SNL cast in 2010. In 2016, his seven year contract was not renewed even though it still had one year left. Killam has stated that he was not sure why. He told NPR: “It wasn’t super negative. It was just kind of messy”. During his time at SNL. Killam even appeared alongside Trump as Trump. It was not an enjoyable experience for Killam and he is even embarrassed about it now. “He’s not an enjoyable person to be around — he’s from a different class; he’s from a different way of life. There was never any common ground.”
Dalai Lama
The most unexpected celebrity to do a Donald Trump impersonation is His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Yes, you read that correctly. He was asked about his impressions about the then-presidential candidate when appearing on Good Morning Britain. Instead of giving a straight answer, he dodged the question by doing his Trump. That is one way to not comment on the situation.
Published: Sep 1, 2022 12:38 am