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The core list of performers identified as playing Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live is Phil Hartman, Darrell Hammond, Jason Sudeikis, Taran Killam, Alec Baldwin and James Austin Johnson. The role passed between performers over several decades; Donald Trump’s own appearances as host are a separate category.
Who has played Donald Trump on SNL?
These six performers make up the core list substantiated by the available retrospectives. The dates below describe the broad handoffs, not a complete episode-by-episode record.
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| Performer | Broad period or context | What is established |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Hartman | Late 1980s | A retrospective identifies Hartman as an early Trump impersonator. Parade |
| Darrell Hammond | Recurring performer; returned after leaving the cast | Retrospectives identify Hammond as a recurring Trump performer who later returned to the role. Los Angeles Times; Parade |
| Jason Sudeikis | Period not stated | Included among the performers who took the role; the reviewed material does not establish a more precise span. Parade |
| Taran Killam | 2015–16 period | Killam took over the impression before season 41. His contract was not renewed for season 42, ending his run. Los Angeles Times |
| Alec Baldwin | From September 2016 | Baldwin took over the impression in September 2016. Television Academy archive listings discuss his Trump costume and wig. Los Angeles Times; Television Academy |
| James Austin Johnson | From season 47 | Johnson began the portrayal in season 47 and was playing Trump in the November 2024 post-election episode. Parade; Associated Press |
How the Trump impression changed hands
Early portrayals and recurring appearances
Hartman is identified as an early performer of the impression, with Parade placing his portrayal in the late 1980s. Hammond later became a recurring Trump performer and returned to the role after leaving the cast. Sudeikis also took the part, though the reviewed accounts do not give a precise start or end date for his portrayal.
Killam to Baldwin
Killam’s portrayal belongs to the 2015–16 period. Parade says he played Trump three times during his final season, including his October 2015 debut and a November 2015 appearance alongside Trump and Hammond. The Los Angeles Times retrospective places Baldwin’s takeover in September 2016. The Television Academy archive lists production interviews about costume designer Tom Broecker dressing Baldwin as Trump and hairstylist Jodi Mancuso’s work on his Trump wig.
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Johnson began playing Trump in season 47. An Associated Press report documents him in the role in the November 2024 post-election episode, describing the president-elect as making an entrance as an “Adonis-bodied” figure. That is AP’s description of the sketch, not a statement by Johnson.
Trump’s SNL hosting appearances are different
Trump himself hosted Saturday Night Live in 2004 and 2015, according to the Los Angeles Times. Those appearances should not be counted as actors impersonating him: hosting means Trump appeared as himself, while the performers in the table portrayed him in sketches.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is this every performer who has played Trump?
Not necessarily. Parade also mentions Shane Gillis among performers associated with Trump portrayals, but the reviewed account does not establish the specific sketch or context. Without that detail, it is not possible to place him confidently in a chronological list of performers who played Trump in a particular SNL sketch. The six names above are the core list substantiated in the cited retrospectives, not a verified inventory of every guest or one-off portrayal.
The available accounts also do not establish a reliable total of Trump sketches or appearances for each performer. This timeline is therefore best read as a guide to the major documented handoffs, rather than an episode count.
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