Just about anyone can do a Donald Trump impression.
Exaggerate. Bloviate. Wave your hands. Heck, just do the President’s signature YMCA dance.
For master impressionist Frank Caliendo, the Trump trick is to go small, not large. He calls it “Library Trump,” lowering the volume while setting him apart from a legion of Trump clones.
And it works. What Caliendo impression doesn’t?
Caliendo flexed his take on the president on Tuesday’s edition of “Ryan Schuiling Live,” heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on 630 KHOW AM, Denver’s Talk Station. He also shared how he walks the line between political impressions and partisanship.
He’s been imitating politicians for some time, including a masterful spin on President George W. Bush.
These days, it’s Trump and former President Joe Biden who have his undivided attention. And if you think you can tell which one he prefers, think again.
Caliendo’s brand is impressions, not partisanship. And he expounded on that approach with host Schuiling and guest co-host yours truly.
He starts his shows with political takes to set the stage for the night’s tone. Then, it’s all about the comedy, not his or anyone else’s ideological bullet points.
“People who come to see me, they wanna get away from politics. They don’t want to hear what I have to say. I live a different life than a lot of people, so I’m like, I’m not going to try and thrust what I think onto other people. Everybody has different situations and different backgrounds. Their experiences are totally different.”
Novel and refreshing.
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The master comedian shared a bit of his Trumpian performance, focusing on Library Trump. Literally.
“We’ve got the best books, so many books that people haven’t read … they have the biggest words,” he said in a low, gravelly voice that sounded like the real deal. But it’s not just about Trump.
“I balance it out by going to Joe Biden. My joke with Joe Biden is, he’s the only person I’ve ever seen who listens with his eyes … he ends up looking like Walter, Jeff Dunham’s puppet.”
“Trump makes up his numbers, but Biden didn’t know them,” he said of the two most recent presidents.
“[Trump is] like P.T. Barnum with that stuff. Joe Biden struggles with the numbers, wouldn’t know where they were, and everything goes back to Scranton, Pennsylvania … like a drunk auctioneer,” he said.
Caliendo does get some mild pushback on the Biden riffs, but he has a simple response.
“People are like, ‘Well, he’s old. He’s not well.’ I don’t do an impression of Biden now. I do an impression of him when he was president and completely healthy. WINK.”
Caliendo performs four shows April 17 and 18 at Comedy Works South in Denver.
