The actors who have played Trump on screen: From Alec Baldwin to Brendan Gleeson

Since he first announced his plans to run for president in 2015, playing Donald Trump on screen has become the ultimate challenge for many actors and comedians.

From short comedy sketches to serious dramas, we’ve seen the likes of Jimmy Fallon, Brendan Gleeson and Alec Baldwin all give Trump’s character a go, with each actor focusing on different aspects of the president’s infamous appearance and mannerisms.

In the run up to the forthcoming US election, here are some of the most notable portrayals of Trump on screen…

Alec Baldwin – Saturday Night Live (2016–present)

For many people, Baldwin’s portrayal of Trump on Saturday Night Live is considered definitive. The 30 Rock star first played the businessman during his 2016 election campaign, going on to earn an Emmy for the part in 2017. After playing Trump in 31 episodes throughout his first term, he admitted in 2019 to being “so done” with the role, but still returned as Trump when the show came back this September.

Louis Ferreira – Trump Unauthorized (2005)

Created in a time when the notion of a Trump presidency was a laughable joke, this ABC TV movie starring Louis Ferreira debuted to predominantly negative reviews, despite praise for its leading man. Though he originally threatened to sue if the film contained any inaccuracies, Trump later praised Ferreira and said it was a “great compliment”, comparing the film to a mix of Desperate Housewives and Dynasty.

Bob DiBuono – Various (2016)

Over the years, comedian DiBuono has become one of Hollywood’s top Trump impersonators, playing the president on the likes of The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore and The View.

Anthony Atamanuik – The President Show (2017)

Created by and starring Atamanuik as Trump, this Comedy Central show only ran for one season, but featured impressive guest stars including Kathy Griffin as Kellyanne Conway and Kathy Najimy as Trump’s first wife Ivana.

Brendan Gleeson – The Comey Rule (2020)

Where most actors portraying Trump have tended to approach the president from a comedic angle, Gleeson’s appearance as him in The Comey Rule takes a more serious look at the presidency. While the Irish actor received praise for his performance in the four-part series, The Independent’s Ed Cummings questioned whether Trump was “so sui generis that it’s impossible for any actor to do him justice” in his four-star review.

Jimmy Fallon – The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon (2016–present)

Fallon has impersonated Trump a few times on his late night show and while the character originally debuted to a lukewarm reception, it has improved with time, with viewers commenting that a recent sketch in which Trump was seen preparing to debate Biden for the first time was “spot on”.

Darrell Hammond – Saturday Night Live (1999-2011, 2015)

Before Baldwin’s Trump, Hammond was SNL’s go-to guy to play Trump on the sketch show. First playing Trump while a regular cast member back in 1999, he went on to play the character on and off for years, reprising the role in 2015 when Trump himself hosted the show.

Josh Robert Thompson – Family Guy (2019)

On adult animation series Family Guy, Trump is voiced by celebrity impressionist Thompson, who also performs characters such as Morgan Freeman and Robert De Niro. In one 2019 episode, titled “Trump Guy”, Peter relocates his family to Washington DC to work for Trump. The president is depicted sexually assaulting Meg (in reference to the leaked Access Hollywood tapes) and making an inappropriate comment about his own daughter Ivanka.

Jeff Rector – Bad President (2020)

Released on VOD last week, this comedy looks back to 2015 and imagines a world in which Trump (Rector) makes a deal with Satan himself (Eddie Griffin) to become the next US president. The trailer is every bit as silly as it sounds, although does get extra points for having a rogue Stormy Daniels cameo.

Taran Killam – Saturday Night Live (2015)

Back in 2015, when Trump was merely one of many candidates unlikely to get the Republican nomination, Saturday Night Live cast member Killam was tasked with playing the future president, while Cecily Strong played wife Melania. It’s a fair impression, but one that was instantly overshadowed by Baldwin once it became clear that Trump would be sticking around for a while.

Jeff Bergman – Our Cartoon President (2018-2020)

Focusing on the more surreal elements of the Trump presidency, this animated Showtime season was originally based on a recurring segment from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Reimagining life in the White House through the lens of a workplace comedy, Bergman voices Trump, as well as Biden and Bill de Blasio, with the show running for three seasons so far.