Meet China’s viral Donald Trump impersonator who nails the US president’s accent

Chen Rui, known online as @trumpbyryan and by his English name Ryan, doesn’t just have the United States president’s hand movements down pat – in some respects that’s the easy part – but he’s nailed Trump’s cadence so perfectly it’s hard to believe he’s not a native speaker.

“Folks, you’re in Chongqing CHAI-na,” Chen says in one video as he lifts the camera for an aerial view of the crowded pavement behind him, his thumb and index finger pinched together in a classic Trumpian gesture.

“Look at this, it’s 6.30pm Fri-day, the busiest hour of the week, and you’re at Guanyinqiao, the most crowded spot of the city. Look at the size of the traffic. So many people, so many cars, bumper to bumper, barely moving. Some say it’s bad. You know what I say, I say it’s incredible.”

The superlatives, the rising and falling pitch, the self-important intakes of breath – it’s all spot on. You really would be forgiven for thinking he’s an American expat masquerading as a local – but he’s not. So who is he?

He’s 100 per cent Chinese and has never been to America

Chen often refers to himself as a typical Chongqing native. A fan who accosts him at a local hotpot restaurant in one video claims one of the reasons he loves his content so much is because Chen “really embodies the straightforward character” of the city. But what’s most impressive is that Chen has never studied abroad or been to the US – though he does admit to working overseas at one point. “I started out as a pretty ordinary person just learning English in China,” he explains, adding that he “slowly honed” his spoken English to get it to the level it’s at now.