James Austin Johnson has revealed the trick behind his Donald Trump impersonation on Saturday Night Live.
The comedian, 36, has played the president on the late night sketch show since fall 2021, taking over the role from Alec Baldwin after his five seasons in the guest spot.
However, Johnson said at a recent Tribeca Film Festival panel, for the premiere of documentary Playing POTUS, that he had the idea to make the impression more likable than Baldwin in hopes of surprising the many Americans who had long grown bored of hearing about Trump’s antics.
“I think I play his charm a little bit more maybe than Alec did,” Johnson said at the five-personal panel Saturday. “I think I play the secret weapon that [Trump]’s deployed, which is that he’s funny, intentionally and unintentionally..”
He added: “That’s not really something I’m looking for when it’s time to vote for somebody, but it’s been extremely powerful.”
Another defining trait to Johnson’s Trump impression is that he “never finishes a thought,” he explained.
“I’m trying to think of a guy who’s been working in retail for like five decades, in a corner, in an uncomfortable chair somewhere, and he’s just doing that to whatever new worker is walking past,” he explained. “I want to play it like it’s a man talking alone in a room, and he’d just be saying all that stuff.”
He said that he relies a lot on improvisation during the performances, adding: “It wouldn’t feel like Trump if there wasn’t this queasy feeling in the audience of ‘what is he going to say?’ and so I have to improvise for the character to kind of come alive. So I’m throwing in stuff.”
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Johnson also addressed the fact that Trump, who often shared public takedowns over Baldwin’s portrayal of him, has yet to share his response to SNL’s newest take on him.
When asked if he is afraid of potential backlash from Trump over his impersonation, he responded: “Am I fearful of the crazy person who wields the military and all that stuff all the time, that seems to target individuals? Yeah.”
He added: “I’m doing a version of [Trump] that I feel is sustainable, because I do think that there is a little bit of a game of Operation that all of comedy is playing right now. And I just don’t think we’ve seen a president who’s so willing to target private citizens and ruin their lives.”
