James Austin Johnson Reveals the Secret to a Perfect Trump Impersonation

James Austin Johnson talks about moving to New York City for Saturday Night Live when his wife was pregnant, his cryptic meetings with Lorne Michaels and how he perfected his Trump impersonation.


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James Austin Johnson Reveals the Secret to a Perfect Trump Impersonation - Late Night with Seth Meyers

Late Night with Seth Meyers

[Arven]

I could listen to him ramble on as Medieval Trump for hours - that was gold.

[TheDjKnockturn]

"Only I can get the amulet" is one of the funniest things I have heard in a while. I must have watched that part of the video 10 times. Dying of laughter over here.

[TheChupacabra]

HOLY MOLEY what a lesson in mimicry. So interesting to see the mechanics of being a master impressionist.

[masterofallgoons]

They have to do an 80s trump vs current Trump sketch .. he's got both voices down perfectly

[sadlystuckinreality]

I remember when he did his Trump for the first time on the show I genuinely went 'woah' out loud. It's so spot on that it's scary!

[milquest]

Hearing Seth giggle uncontrollably at James different Trumps was just too much fun😄

[johnfdm]

That's some masterful impression right there. I'm glad he mentioned that it took him a while to get the voice right. People often ascribe this kind of skill to sheer talent. Talent is a big part of the equation, sure, but the work is what gets you there.

[rticle]

This guy has nailed all the little quirks. The tone, speech pattern, and train of thought are all dead on. Best Trump I've seen.

[rkeithh]

It's super rare for a new cast member to come in and have a big impact so quickly - usually takes them a while to find their footing, if and when they're able. So congrats to him for pulling that off!

[josephiudice]

"Both current presidents." A beautiful and subtle joke...nice wit.

[mon-]

I think this is the best Trump impression I've heard. He, as mentioned, really captures that throaty sound that Trump has. It's good to hear from new cast members on SNL. This guy has a bright future there!

[charlesbronson]

This dude did fantastic impressions of BOTH Biden and Trump, so impressive!

[michaelfrieber]

I loved the sound Seth made when James mentioned that NBC used to have a show with Trump.

[MB]

Hilarious, "ONLY I can get the amulet!"

[millerezra]

Dude’s poise and confidence is impressive, he just crushed that interview

[jdp]

Rarely do I laugh that hard during the interview.

[AndrewStro]

Baldwins impression was more of an exaggerated characature, he leaned on extreme expressions. James' impression is great in how he nails the cadence. One thing he could work more into the act is the softer sounding moments like Seth does.

[justin.booth.]

Him and Bowen Yang are probably some of the best new hires SNL has had in a while, absolutely stellar from the get-go.

[우사민-rc]

If you close your eyes...it's frigging Trump I swear! Try it! This guy is a comedic genius!

[TrollMeister_]

9:02 “We are going to make the wizard’s ‘ead spin” . That was the most accurate Trump impression I’ve heard. Notice how he leaves out the h’s.