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?