Republicans may remain divided over whether Donald Trump’s candidacy is good for the GOP, but the New York mogul’s turn in the political spotlight has definitely been a boon to one Pennsylvania man — a professional Trump impersonator who has been mimicking The Donald for more than a decade.
John Di Domenico — or “Johnny D” — is a professional impersonator who performs as everyone from Food Network personality Guy Fieri to Larry King to Austin Powers’s Dr. Evil. He has had a Trump act on his resume since 2004, when The Apprentice first appeared.
But according to a local news channel profile, Di Domenico never made much playing Trump; his appearances were limited to corporate gatherings and birthday parties where he’d “roast” business executives, Apprentice boardroom style. Lately, though, now that Trump is everywhere in the media, he’s been raking in as much as $40,000 a month.
He’s even developed several scripts so that he can keep up with Trump’s changing speech lines. Telling a crowd that “We’re putting a phenomenal Trump Hotel on top of The Wall. It’s going to be the absolute maximum in luxury,” he says gets the most applause.
“Anytime I do any kind of a group event, the first thing I say is, ‘Are there any Mexicans here?”’ the actor told KSAT San Antonio. “There’s usually a round of applause. From that I say, ‘You see that? You see that? The Mexicans love me. They absolutely love me.'”
But while the real estate investor has made Di Domenico a good chunk of change, he’s not sure he’ll be voting Trump in November — even though at least four years of Trump would be a yuuuuuuuuuuuge career boost.
Di Domenico has made appearances on almost every major news network:
Part 2 of @tomshillue's Trump interview! #RedEye will be back this Friday for our #RNCinCLE wrap up show! @johnnyd23https://t.co/Fv9OEICNo8
— Red Eye on Fox News (@RedEyeFNC) July 19, 2016
As well as on Conan:
If you missed it last night, here is my appearance on Conan last night as #captainmakeamericagreatagain #TBS https://t.co/B5woRkfA6M
— John Di Domenico (@Johnnyd23) July 22, 2016
But while John Di Domenico might be the best Trump impersonator (the most classy, the biggest winner!), he’s far from the only comedian with a Trump impression who is doing well.
According to reports from the Washington Post and others, Trump impersonators are in higher and higher demand as the campaign wears on. As long as Trump stays in the race, impersonators from Baltimore to Las Vegas will bring in anywhere from $1,500 to $10,000 per appearance. Even big names like Meryl Streep have dressed up as the atomic orange billionaire for a quick laugh. Johnny Depp told Ellen DeGeneres that he’s considered unearthing his old impression as well.
Even amateurs are reportedly getting into the game. A Mexican company — pause to appreciate the irony — that produces Donald Trump mask says demand has been almost impossible to meet.
Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton impersonators haven’t fared as well, according to Fortune magazine. Even though demand for Bernie was high, even the best Bernies could only command around $2,000 per appearance.
