Spreading his hands in a characteristic Donald Trump pose, impersonator Ryan Chen imitates the US president's voice and gestures so accurately that he has become a social media phenomenon with his hilarious videos.

The 42-year-old from Southwest China does not deal in political satire - a minefield in the country that can lead to account suspension - but has amassed millions of followers on Instagram, TikTok and Chinese platforms, the Telegraph reports.

"Trump is an endless well that never runs dry because he attracts more online traffic than anyone else on the planet," Chen told AFP in his hometown of Chongqing, which has gone viral for its labyrinthine city landscape and spicy food.

During his videos, which are in English with Chinese subtitles, Chen effortlessly introduces Chinese cuisine, customs, cultural differences, jokes with foreigners and dances to the Village People's "YMCA," one of Trump's signature stage songs.

And all of his videos are filled with Trump's unmistakable behaviors and words like "extraordinary" and "amazing."

"I'm not into politics, but I think he's a very good entertainer," Chen said of the US president, who he followed when Trump hosted the television show "The Apprentice."

"If I imitate it, I don't do it for fun. It's to attract attention," he told AFP, wearing a white cowboy hat.

"With this attention, I can grow my career as well as promote China and my hometown," he added.

Chen found his online fame by accident, only growing in 2025 with Trump's return to the White House.

The "Friends" and "The Big Bang Theory" fan - who had never visited the United States before this year - started making online videos to teach English as a "backup plan" from his work in architecture, a sector hit hard by China's property crisis.

He had moderate success, but his videos only went viral after a friend challenged him to imitate Trump. His appearance in April on a live stream by ISOWSPEED, an American YouTuber with over 47 million subscribers who was visiting China at the time, further increased his visibility.

Chen said Trump has become such a big part of his life that he now feels a certain familiarity with him, "like a neighbor."

He sees himself as a "bridge" between international internet users who are eager to discover urban China, its "lively" atmosphere, and the Chinese people who are eager to understand foreign humor and cultures.

The impersonator now has more than a million followers on Instagram, almost as many on TikTok and more than 2.5 million on Chinese platforms, and is recognized on the street. Chen learned English by watching his favorite American series. /Telegraph/

- YouTube youtube.com


InterestingFun