How an uncanny Trump impression helps comedian Matt Friend sharpen his satire

SAM DINGMAN: During President Donald Trump’s first term, actor Alec Baldwin’s impression of him on "Saturday Night Live" became a persistent thorn in the president’s side. Baldwin’s performance goaded Trump into tantrums on the platform then known as Twitter. For Trump’s detractors, it helped undercut the aura of invincibility he sought to cultivate.

Part of the impression’s effectiveness had to do with the media environment of the late 2010s. When it came to political satire, "SNL" was arguably still the most prominent outlet for comedians to reach audiences.

In the years since then, however, a little app called TikTok came along. And in 2025, a good Trump impression is a great way to build a massive following.

While "SNL" is still goofing on the president most weekends, there’s a good chance more people are getting their fix from one of the many TikTokers who’ve perfected Trump’s distinct blend of bombast and non-sequiturs.

Few online comedians have done this more successfully than Matt Friend. Though Trump isn’t the only character Friend does, the uncanny accuracy of his impression has been his ticket to a wide range of television appearances, and a career touring comedy clubs around the country — he’s coming to the Tempe Improv this weekend.

I was curious to find out how he thinks about the stakes of doing this kind of comedy. What can a good impression of the president accomplish? And how much of that is intentional? I asked Friend about all this and more earlier this week.

Full conversation

MATT FRIEND: Trump is a personality in that I use him to say things that I can't say as myself. Like when I'm in a show, I do crowd work as Trump to get away with like, for example, NPR is a terrible organization. The fake news, nobody likes them. They're terrible. They're disgusting. You should be ashamed of your question. You should be fired. Get him out of here. You're. You're a pig.

DINGMAN: Mr. President.

FRIEND: Piggy.

DINGMAN: Mr. President, I've been meaning to ask you about that CPB funding, by the way.

FRIEND: Well, that's just shut your mouth and stop talking. You see, like, these are things he actually says.

DINGMAN: Well, that's very interesting to me, Matt. I want to ask you more about that. Like, what's interesting to you as a comedian, as a comic, about using the president's persona or your version of the president's persona to make jokes that you, as Matt Friend wouldn't be able to make.

What's interesting to you about that creatively?

FRIEND: It's not really interesting. It's just plain funny. It's like something is funny, yes or no, black or white. In my opinion, like Trump, if you took away his powers and him not being the president, it's objectively hilarious. Quiet, piggy, like, that's insane. It's literally insane.

DINGMAN: Right.

FRIEND: 'Cause it just feels like everybody's OK with hearing it. If he says it right, it doesn't make sense. It's bizarre.

DINGMAN: Right, right. But that's my question, I guess, is do you intend that as some sort of societal comment in any way? Because I mean, you're making a very good point there. Like he gets away with saying things that if almost anybody else in the world said them, we would be horrified. And when he does that.

FRIEND: You can interpret it as a comment if you wish. I am not necessarily offering a commentary. I think there's enough comedians out there that are very self-righteous and think they know what they're talking about. And I think that there's a lot of people out there that think they know what they're talking about. There's a lot of everybody's trying to add their monologue and their perspective to the discourse.

I just want to make people laugh and have a great time. And all I'm doing is, in the case of this Trump impression is I am not necessarily commenting, I'm just like through the vehicle. OK, maybe I am commenting in that you can only hear. It's crazy when you see someone else saying it as him. Like if you can separate him, but then you see me saying it. And do you see this 27-year-old, like good looking guy?

DINGMAN: Right.

FRIEND: See, I say it is him. You see this 27-year-old, tall, skinny guy saying, seems somehow different than him.

DINGMAN: Right. Well, I mean ...

FRIEND: That is a very good question though.

DINGMAN: That is a fairly interesting comment, I have to say. I mean, and quite provocative actually, if you think about it, this idea that when the actual president says the things the actual president says, we kind of treat it as like another day that ends in y in 2025.

FRIEND: Exactly. No, it's true.

DINGMAN: But when you do it, it's like, wait, that guy's the president?

FRIEND: It's crazy.

DINGMAN: Well, let me ask you this. Do you think of the impression of Trump as making fun of him?

FRIEND: For sure.

DINGMAN: OK.

FRIEND: I mean, there's no question that it's making fun of him. But I'm not necessarily like, object, like being so pointed in my commentary. In some ways it is a mirror to the things that these people are saying and doing.

But what's interesting about my show is again, like we are in very partisan times. And I personally don't see a point in taking such a partisan stance comedically in a show. I think there's enough of it. I know you could say it's idealistic and it's a different time than when Johnny Carson was on the air, but there is something to be said of, like, let's just all go into this comedy club and all, like, laugh at everything going on.

DINGMAN: Well, in the vein of all this, can I ask you, I mean, you did the Trump impression multiple times on "Fox and Friends," which is a show that it is widely acknowledged that the president himself watches.

FRIEND: Yep. And I was at Stephen Colbert yesterday doing it.

DINGMAN: Oh, my goodness. Oh, yeah, we know he watches that, too.

FRIEND: Well, I have quite the range.

DINGMAN: Yeah. But is that something you thought about when you went to "Fox and Friends"? Were you thinking, like, he's gonna see this?

FRIEND: I think he's watching a lot. He's watching all of it. What's crazy about that is that I have not had the experience of having an actual effect or impact after I go on a TV show, and I've done a lot of shows, other than that show in terms of, like, people buying tickets to come to my shows and hearing from them how great or whatever they thought I was.

But to answer your question, I assumed he would be. He'd be watching it. I have no idea what he thinks because I'm basically lampooning him and everything.

DINGMAN: Well, that's my question. That's my question, Matt, is I mean, as I know you must know, it is practically verboten to go on Fox News programming and speak negatively about the president or make fun of the president.

And just to quote one of your own jokes to you, I'm not gonna do it as well as you did, of course, but you said something like, Trump destroyed the East Wing of the White House. He must have gotten it confused with the Epstein files. I mean, that's a pretty cutting joke. And people laughed.

What do you think it is about you doing the impression in that environment that, I don't know, makes them OK with it in a way that they generally aren't?

FRIEND: You know, it's a great question. I do not know. And I think it's very interesting that they're able to laugh at themselves and you gotta give them credit.

DINGMAN: But I guess I'm curious. I mean, and not to harp on this too much, but it is fascinating to me, Matt, that you're saying, I'm just a comedian, I'm just a comic. I'm just here to make people laugh, whoever they may be.

But I can't help noticing that a significant number of the impressions you do, and they're on both sides of the aisle, are politicians, very famous politicians, who are, some of them are loved, generally speaking, and some of them are loathed, generally speaking.

So that's an interesting tension to me, I guess, that as someone who is taking this notionally sort of apolitical stance, you are really. You do lean into politics quite a bit.

FRIEND: Love it. I love it. I mean, it's no secret, like, I grew up in Chicago, you know, liberal upbringing, but I just think, like, now it's like, if you can find a way to get to, like to get as many people as possible having a good time, I don't see an issue with that.

But at the same time, like, there's nothing to me that is funnier than the political world. I mean, it's just so absurd. I think it just, the most important thing in comedy to answer this question is, are they laughing really hard or are they not? And that's what that is the metric that I care about.

But let people, you know, just judge or for themselves and just have. Have a good time. And if you're interested in seeing Mitch McConnell getting down and dirty, well, I would say you're gonna have a good time. And then you get over here and you get Barack Obama. He's having a great time on NPR. And let me just say this, OK? This is Howard's. It's not all politics. This is Howard Stern. NPR is fantastic. John Oliver, what is going on? OK, this is Bill Maher. New rule. Why are we even doing this? I don't even know. Right.

So to answer your question, I just completely deflected and it became 10 other people. So enjoy the show.

DINGMAN: That was a very show, don't tell answer, I have to say. Well, I have been speaking with Matt Friend, who is a comedian and gifted, as you just heard, impressionist. He will be at the Tempe Improv this weekend on Dec. 12 and 13. Matt, thank you for this conversation.

FRIEND: Thank you for having me. Such a nice conversation. Appreciate it.