{"id":254607,"date":"2026-05-01T22:30:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T22:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/254607\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T22:30:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T22:30:14","slug":"students-compete-to-best-mimic-trump-win-25-gas-card-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/254607\/","title":{"rendered":"Students compete to best mimic Trump, win $25 gas card | Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Students<\/p>\n

Dylan Remington, freshman business management major, does his impression of President Donald Trump at a competition to imitate him near the Addition Financial Arena on Monday. Remington won first place for his imitation, receiving a $25 Wawa gift card and a certificate.<\/p>\n

Joshua-Paul Estabalaya<\/p>\n

Students gathered in the afternoon heat near Addition Financial Arena on Monday, some in suits, ties and caps, to perform impressions of President Donald Trump in an imitation contest.<\/p>\n

More than 70 people attended the contest, which flyers advertised as \u201cnot political\u201d and \u201conly for fun.\u201d The event began with its 13 contestants and five judges singing\u00a0\u201cYMCA\u201d<\/a>\u00a0by Village People while mimicking the president\u2019s voice. Contestants then gave their Trump impressions on an elevated platform.<\/p>\n

During the contest,\u00a0sophomore integrated business major\u00a0Trace Welch, the event organizer and one of its judges, imitated Trump\u2019s typical golf-playing attire by wearing a polo shirt and carrying a golf club. Other judges dressed like fictional depictions of Trump, such as him as Superman<\/a> and Rocky Balboa<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Welch, who sometimes posts\u00a0Instagram reels<\/a>\u00a0of himself mimicking Trump, said the president\u2019s \u201cfunny\u201d voice and mannerisms made him want to host a competition to imitate him specifically.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel it\u2019s kind of hard [to mimic] a lot of these political figures because they just talk normally, despite what they say,\u201d Welch said. \u201cThe way Trump talks is just so funny, like how can I not impersonate him?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Welch said he had hosted the Trump impression contest because of a friend\u2019s suggestion.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of my friends, we have a little inside joke where we just talk to each other in the Trump voice just for fun,\u201d Welch said. \u201cOne of my friends said, \u2018Oh, you should host a Trump impression competition,\u2019 and I\u2019m like, \u2018Wow, that\u2019s a great idea.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Welch added that previous one-off campus events, such as last year\u2019s \u201cmeowing<\/a>\u201d and \u201cperformative masc<\/a>\u201d\u00a0contests, inspired him to host something similar.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoments like that\u2026 [make] UCF a more unique place,\u201d Welch said. \u201cI\u2019ve gone to other college campuses, and they don\u2019t do stuff like this. I just think it\u2019s so cool that all these things \u2014 these contests, these weird, wacky events \u2014 happen at UCF, and I’m just happy to be able to contribute to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Students<\/p>\n

Students near the Addition Financial Arena watch and record contestants singing “YMCA” by Village People in a competition to mimic President Donald Trump on Monday. More than 70 people showed up to the contest, with 13 competing.<\/p>\n

Joshua-Paul Estabalaya<\/p>\n

Dylan Remington, freshman business management major, won first place. After the competition, Remington said he was surprised to win the contest, continuing to speak in Trump\u2019s voice as he reacted to the result.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite frankly, I thought there were like four other contestants that would have done better than me. But we prevailed, and I think it\u2019s quite an honor,\u201d Remington said.<\/p>\n

Remington, who said he\u2019s been mimicking Trump\u2019s voice since high school, wore a blond wig and a blue suit with a red tie during the contest. He added that the contest was a \u201cfun time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Students<\/p>\n

Students participating in a Donald Trump impression competition sing “Y.M.C.A.” by Village People near the Addition Financial Arena on Monday. Thirteen students competed in the contest, with the first place winner earning a $25 Wawa gift card.<\/p>\n

Joshua-Paul Estabalaya<\/p>\n

For winning first place, Remington received a certificate and a $25 Wawa gift card, which Welch said he and the other judges selected as the competition\u2019s prize due to\u00a0high gas prices<\/a> from the war in Iran.<\/p>\n

Remington said he often shops at Wawa, so he will likely use the gift card to buy food or gas, noting prices at the pump have increased.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very generous for a competition like this to have an actual, kind-of-cash prize,\u201d Remington said. \u201cI used to be able to fill up [my gas tank] completely for about $44. Now that\u2019s about $52 to $54, and sometimes it can go up to $58.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the competition, Welch said it went \u201cpretty good\u201d and that contestants were \u201crespectful for the most part.\u201d However, he said some \u201cmight have gone too far politically.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were a few remarks about Israel,\u201d Welch said. \u201cAnd when my Hispanic friend introduced himself as \u2018Donaldo Trumpito,\u2019 some of the contestants shouted \u2018ICE, ICE.\u2019 I was like, \u2018That\u2019s a little bit not okay.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Welch said he aimed to host the competition without politicizing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of the big things I\u2019m wanting to hammer home, just because I don\u2019t want to start any conflict,\u201d Welch said. \u201cI just want it to be strictly for fun. People come, they do their little, funny impression and then that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Students<\/p>\n

Trace Welch (left), sophomore integrated business major, and Matthew Woodward, sophomore biomedical sciences major, dance during a competition to imitate President Donald Trump near the Addition Financial Arena on Monday. Both students were two of the five judges who picked the top three contestants based on their performances.<\/p>\n

Joshua-Paul Estabalaya<\/p>\n

Welch said his favorite part of the competition was singing \u201cYMCA\u201d with the contestants and his fellow judges.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust seeing everyone in their costumes was really funny,\u201d Welch said.<\/p>\n

Fellipe Delano Fischer, senior legal studies major, won second place, while Enzo Torlone, senior game design major, placed third. Both received certificates and said they had learned about the competition on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of my last weeks here before graduating,\u201d Torlone said. \u201cQuite frankly, it\u2019s so fun to do all these voices. I think it went really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fischer said the competition also went well, though he described turnout as \u201cmoderate\u201d compared with last year\u2019s \u201cmeowing contest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it wasn\u2019t around finals, maybe more people would\u2019ve showed up,\u201d Fischer said.<\/p>\n

Although Remington said he would like to see a Trump impression competition held annually, Murphy Ballard, junior integrated business major and one of the contest\u2019s judges, said future events should not be based on politicians.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should do a subculture, just like how they did the ‘performative masc contest,’\u201d Ballard said. \u201cOr we could do just some random character, like [someone from] ‘South Park’ or ‘Smiling Friends.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Welch also said he would like to host similar events in the future with different themes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would love to have more stuff like this, just little things that happen on campus\u2026 [where] people come, they show up, have fun for a bit and then get back to their daily lives, just a little break from the real world,\u201d Welch said.<\/p>\n