Heavily bronzed and freshly coiffed, Donald Trump's doppelganger says he has come to Hanoi to meet with a Kim Jong Un lookalike to end North Korea's nuclear ambitions, and maybe play a bit of golf.
"We're working toward peace. Through negotiations, with dialogue, we want to help North Korea of course," said Trump impersonator Russell White, in a sharp suit and blue tie.
White and Kim impersonator Howard X are in Hanoi days before a meeting between the real leaders of the United States and North Korea, who will hold a second summit in the Vietnamese capital on February 27-28.
Though the agenda for the planned summit has not been released, Howard X says he has a few aims for his pow-wow with the fake Trump.
"Hopefully he can overlook all my nuclear missiles and lift the sanctions," said the full-time impersonator, who also visited Singapore ahead of the leaders' meeting last year.
The men have a few non-official agenda items this week too -- maybe a massage parlour, a round of golf and hopefully a chance to try some of Hanoi's culinary delights.
Out of character, the pair say they can make good money as impersonators -- as long as Kim and Trump are in the news.
"The good thing for Kim is he's always doing something interesting, also Trump," said Howard X, who charges a minimum of USD 3,500 for an appearance and says he once walked away with USD 15,000 for a gig. But the work can be burdensome.
Howard X says it takes him three hours to perfect the Kim look: carefully manicured hair, thick black glasses and suits from a top tailor in Hong Kong where he is based.
Though he's mastered the get-up, he's not entirely happy about it.
"Mr Kim please get a proper haircut, this sucks," he said, standing on the steps of Hanoi's colonial-era Opera House with black-clad bodyguards and a swarm of media.
As for White, it only takes him 20 minutes to bronze his face -- excluding his under eyes -- and gel his blonde hair to look like the man he says is doing a great job.
"You're doing a difficult job, keep up the good work, we're going to make America great again," the full-time, Canadian-born impersonator said.
The pair say they are looking for a few more impersonators to complete their band of "tyrants", calling for any lookalikes of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping or Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to come forward.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
