Actor, Comedian, Director, Business Manager, Tour Guide
Yearsactive
2024-present
Knownfor
The Chinese Trump
Chen Rui (born c. 1982[1]), better known online as Ryan Chen, is a Chinese impressionist and social media celebrity. He became well-known in 2024 when his uploads of impersonating U.S. President Donald J. Trump for his friends on Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, went viral. The "Chinese Trump" [2] sees himself as a cultural ambassador to China. In the Western media, he has been interviewed by NBC News, CNN, and the New York Times.
Born Chen Rui, Chen learned English in high school and from watching American television while attending university in Chengdu, the Sichuan province's capital.[3] In fall 2024, Chen[3] lost a bet to a friend and posted a video of himself doing an impression of President Trump on Chinese social media.[4]
Career
When Chen started his uploads in 2024, he was a marketing manager in Chongqing.[3] He was pleased with the traffic he got and after Trump's re-election in November 2024, and expanded his delivery and started to post on Instagram, and other U.S. social media.[1]
While billing himself the "Chinese Trump,"[5] Chen stays away from political topics and focuses on marketing his city, food, and culture in the Trumpian accent and mannerisms. "I'm not interested in politics, actually" he told an NBC reporter. He has never been to the U.S.[1] He is also struggling to make money off his talent: He has done a deal with Chongqing Beer but social media platforms, though rigorously censored in China, have been inundated with unfettered ridicule of Trump, including A.I.-generated videos.[3] Chen's keeps his day job as the business manager at an architectural design company in Chongqing.[3]
Among the celebrities Chen has filmed himself with are Olympian Wang Guan.[6]
Reception
Chen has millions of followers in China (1.2 million on Douyin as of October 23, 2025[3]) and a following in the U.S.;[1][7] the threat in early 2025 of a U.S. ban on TikTok, owned by ByteDance, triggered an rush of American users to Chinese platforms such as RedNote. Chen has received coverage from NBC News,[1], CNN[4] and the New York Times.[3]
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