'Chinese Trump' Wins Followers with His Spot-on Impersonation

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It’s unclear how soon President Donald Trump will visit China, but in the meantime, China has Ryan Chen.

His knack for impersonating Trump has turned Chen, 42, into a social media star, sweeping across Instagram and TikTok as the “Chinese Trump.”

“Guys, you know where we are? We’re in Chongqing, CHI-na!” Chen says in a typical video from his hometown, describing the city of more than 30 million people as “tremendous.”

It began last fall, when Chen posted a video on Chinese social media as a dare, complete with Trump’s rambling linguistic style and signature hand gestures.

“It went viral. I thought it was very good traffic,” Chen told NBC News recently in his first interview with a U.S. news organization. “So I started doing it ever since.”

After Trump’s re-election in November, Chen expanded his repertoire and reach by posting his impression videos on U.S. social media, with one clip showing him singing the global hit song “APT.” in a blond wig, a red tie and Trump’s voice.

He gained an even wider American viewership early this year when a looming U.S. ban on TikTok, the short-video app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, triggered an influx of users to Chinese platforms such as RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu.

Chen posted a series of videos welcoming the TikTok refugees and even taught them how to use Chinese slang, all while mimicking Trump.

“You sound just like him,” a California user commented on one of Chen’s RedNote posts. “But I came here to get away from him.”

As he gains popularity, Chen has been recorded with visitors from abroad, including Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and American YouTube star IShowSpeed, who livestreamed his tour of China this year to his 44 million subscribers.

“I want people to view me as a bridge” between cultures, Chen said. “It’s a different perspective in a funny way.”

Chen, a former marketing manager who has never set foot in the United States, said he learned English on his own. He credits years of watching U.S. TV series, including the Trump-starring reality show “The Apprentice,” for his near-native accent.

“If you want to be good at doing him, you should watch the good imitators, because they kind of exaggerate his traits,” Chen said over a lunch of Chongqing noodles.

“If you were to rank me, I would not make top 10, but I’m the only Asian Trump and the only Chinese Trump. So that’s making me special!”

Leaving politics aside, Trump is a “funny guy” and an “entertainer,” he said.

“I like when he said: ‘You’re fired.’ It’s quite entertaining. I think his acting skills are so much better than mine.”

Chen watches the news to hone his technique, but he steers clear of anything political, he prefers to use his platform to teach foreigners about Chinese food, travel and culture.

“I’m not interested in politics, actually,” Chen said. “The initial reason that I wanted to do Trump is because I think it’s funny. I want to make people laugh.”

His all but flawless impression of Trump has gained him millions of Chinese followers, some of whom stop him on the street to ask for selfies and advice about learning English.

Chen is increasingly recognized by people from outside China, as well.

“Oh, I think I know you, you’re the Trump,” Vadim Mitko, a 20-year-old from Russia, said when he encountered Chen on a Chongqing street.

“I was thinking, Chongqing is so far away from the USA, how is this guy speaking with that accent?” Mitko said of the videos he had seen on TikTok.

Chen, who is considering making his first trip to the United States, said that he had never thought about meeting Trump in person but that if he had the chance, he would tell Trump to visit China.

“You should come to Chongqing,” Chen said in Trump’s voice, to try the city’s famously spicy hotpot.

“You say you’re a tough guy,” he said. “Maybe you should try extra hot.”

Janis Mackey Frayer and Dawn Liu reported from Chongqing and Peter Guo from Hong Kong.

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