Presidential Impersonator - John Morgan

April 1, 2026·30 min·2 clips

Meet John Morgan, a professional presidential impersonator who looks and sounds so much like real presidents that people think it's them.

1. The Tiberius Show interviews John C. Morgan, a professional entertainer who impersonates multiple U.S. presidents, most notably George W. Bush and Donald Trump. 2. Morgan is also a singer-songwriter and author of a book called 'War on Fear'; his Facebook page is under the name 'Bushguy.' 3. The episode's central theme is how Morgan overcame fear and skepticism to build a career in an unusual niche, and what aspiring performers can learn from his experience. 4. Morgan initially resisted the idea of becoming an impersonator entirely — his first reference point was a Cher impersonator who he felt 'needed counseling' — until his wife spotted a George W. Bush impersonator's appearance fee on the Jay Leno show and woke him from sleep to announce his new career. 5. He learned the craft by watching other impersonators online, studying the five or six physical and vocal markers that define a given subject, and exaggerating them: Bush's shoulder shrug, eye squint, hand position; Trump's speech patterns and crowd-rally energy. 6. Morgan says learning Trump's voice was 'nightmarishly hard' compared to Bush because the two speech patterns are so different, while Trump's physical mannerisms came easily. 7. His first public performance was at his sister's law firm Christmas party in Winter Park, where he was still learning the material; the crowd responded with comparisons to Saturday Night Live. 8. Morgan appeared on America's Got Talent and says it was his biggest professional mistake — not because of the impersonation quality, which was praised, but because he was under-prepared on material and relied too heavily on ad-libbing. 9. He describes the highest-stakes performance of his career at the Hermosa Beach Comedy and Magic Club in Los Angeles — a venue where Jay Leno performed regularly — where he was terrified backstage before a realization shifted his entire mindset. 10. The mindset shift came in three stages: a thought that he was in 'the exact right place in all of time and eternity,' a feeling of being perfectly loved, and an instruction to take that love and give it to the audience, which ended his focus on their approval. 11. After that mental shift, Morgan says he was fully present with the audience, looked them in the eye, and the performance was a success. 12. On confidence, he uses Trump as an illustration of how carrying oneself with total certainty can change how an audience receives a performer. 13. Morgan says he identifies most as 'an encourager' — using comedy and impersonation to make people feel seen, loved, and important rather than as a political or satirical act. 14. When performing, he distinguishes between Trump at a rally, Trump at a press conference, and Bush under camera lights — each persona requires different energy and physicality drawn from watching hours of source video. 15. He shares a self-deprecating story (told in his book) about performing at a Valentine's show for preteens while unknowingly dancing with his zipper undone, only noticing when he saw the audience's eyes go wide and his wife point. 16. Morgan recommends teens interested in entertainment join debate teams and speech classes, get in front of people consistently, and have 'hard conversations' rather than waiting for formal training. 17. The interview is loose and conversational with frequent digressions into jokes and character voices; Morgan occasionally slips into Trump or Bush voice spontaneously mid-sentence. 18. Tiberius Boy's comic timing and genuine curiosity make Morgan more openly self-deprecating than in a typical business-oriented interview. 19. Aspiring performers, especially those working through stage fright or building a career in entertainment, will find the most value here. 20. Listeners expecting political satire, impression samples, or a deep analysis of any specific president's character will not find that here.

As heard by us

A look at the craft behind a presidential impersonation act.

The episode follows John C. Morgan as he talks through the craft of presidential impersonation, along with the other roles that shape his work as an entertainer, comedian, musician, and author.

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Why you'd press play

You want the mechanics behind a spot-on presidential impression.

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