Donald Trump impressionist busts into Carrot Top’s election-night show
Inviting a Donald Trump impressionist to a stage on the Strip, on election night, might seem a gamble. But not for Scott Thompson and John Di Domenico.
Thompson is Carrot Top, full time. Di Domenico is Trump, sometimes. The prop comic bought out Di Domenico as Trump at Luxor’s Atrium Showroom on Tuesday night.
It was the fourth time Di Domenico has broken into Carrot Top’s show in his Trump portrayal. The bit has been a hit, every time.
“When he came out, the crowd just roared,” Carrot Top said Wednesday afternoon in a phone chat. “It’s just a hilarious bit. I think it’s the best one he’s done.”
Di Domenico arrived with an order of McDonald’s bag and a drink.
The headliner asked, “What are you doing here?” Di Domenico-as-Trump responded, “My shift at McDonald’s is over!” A giant U.S. map appeared on the video screen, totally red aside from the blue Washington, D.C.
Carrot Top then said, “This is what CNN is showing,” with the colors reversed.
Asked if it wasn’t a risk to perform the routine as election returns were still being tabulated, Carrot Top said, “It could have been. But that’s comedy, right? I had in my heart it was going to kill, because we weren’t making fun of (Kamala) Harris. And John just does Trump so well it’s always funny.”
At Tuesday’s show, Di Domenico had a sidekick planted in the crowd.
“Howard X, who is the Kim Jong Un impersonator you see all over the world, told me he was in town,” Di Domenico said Wednesday. “So I said, ‘Let’s put him in the audience,’ and I said, ‘I have my good friend with me tonight,’ and he waved to everybody.” (Neither the real Trump nor the North Korean dictator have seen the Carrot Top show.)
Somehow, Di Domenico has hit on an impression that works for both sides of the spectrum, if for different reasons. I’ve seen him perform the character many times for varying audiences since he moved to Las Vegas nine years ago. Even audiences of mixed political viewpoints have laughed.
On the corporate circuit, Di Domenico has performed regularly for mostly Trump-supporting audiences at corporate gigs around the country. But he’s also appeared on “The Howard Stern Show” on Sirius XM nearly 50 times since 2020. Stern endorsed Kamala Harris and has ripped the real Trump on his show, but has played straight man to Di Domenico’s faux Trump.
Di Domenico was due to appear on “This Morning,” the top-rated daytime program in Britain, early Thursday morning. He has a corporate appearance in California in February that was conditional on Trump winning.
The Maaco auto paint and collision company of Charlotte, N.C. has been an especially profitable partnership. Di Domenico said, “They are truly one of my legacy clients and help keep me alive.” Another instance where corporate bookings sustain entertainers based in Vegas, who make money elsewhere.
Having developed the act in the mid-2000s, during “Celebrity Apprentice,” Di Domenico is certain to continue in the role through the second Trump administration. His Trump work peaked in 2016, actually dropping when Trump was in office, then spiked again during the Biden administration.
Di Domenico has other impressions. He’s got Austin Powers, Dr. Phil and Guy Fieri on deck, among many others. But Di Domenico has grown weary of lugging costumes around the country, not just of Trump but of everybody.
At age 62, he wants to be known as John Di Domenico, not as any character.
“All these corporate hosts, when they host a meeting, when I come out, it’s like, ‘Here’s Donald Trump!’ I’m in these photos as, ‘Donald Trump impersonator,’ along with the company CEO,” Di Domenico said. “Audiences have no idea who I am. For the longest time, I didn’t care. But now, I really care. People need to know my name.”
Tease this …
Former Las Vegas Mayor and current Las Vegas author Oscar Goodman is working on his next memoir, “A Life of Crossroads and Choices.” This is a follow-up to the 2013, “Being Oscar,” chronicling Goodman’s life-altering choices over his remarkable career.
Goodman says he is 15 chapters into what should be a 20-chapter tome. Expect it mid-2025. And this is the topic of his next dinner-series talk at Oscar’s Steakhouse on Nov. 20.
And this …
Star stunt performer and magician David Blaine is back at Encore Theater over New Year’s Eve weekend.
She outta here
Adele reiterated her plans to take a lengthy hiatus after she closes at the Colosseum the weekend of Nov. 22-23.
“It’s (the 100th and final show) the weekend before Thanksgiving, isn’t it? she said to her Friday night. “And that’s the last one.“And I don’t have any plans to be on stage indefinitely, really.
“So I’m going to try my best to soak up every single moment of all 10 of these final shows.”
Cool Hang Alert
Powerhouse blues vocalist Lara Price is making a pair of rare VegasVille appearances at 9 p.m. Friday at Sand Dollar at the Plaza, and 10 p.m. Saturday at Sand Dollar on Polaris and Spring Mountain. The shows are to support Price’s eighth album, “Half & Half,” a tribute to the Bay Area music community. Very cool, and as always, try the pizza.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.