I’ve enjoyed the performances of quite a few Saturday Night Live cast members over the past several seasons, from breakout star Ashley Padilla to the long-serving Kenan Thompson. Someone else who deserves props for their work is James Austin Johnson, who’s become particularly famous for his impression of U.S. President Donald Trump. Considering how the imitation has taken off, Austin has now reached the point at which fans approach him in public, and I can’t get over what some of them say to him.
Austin is far from the first person to mimic Donald Trump on SNL, as the likes of Darrell Hammond and Alec Baldwin (who won an Emmy for his work on the show) have as well. I’d argue, however, that Austin’s portrayal has hit the cultural zeitgeist in an even stronger way. Anyone who needs evidence of that should listen to what Johnson shared during his recent appearance on the Downside Podcast (part of which was shared to TikTok). The comic specifically explained what it’s like meeting older fans who approach him near his home:
