'Like a king': China brutally mocks Trump in new opera

08 June

Cantonese opera actor Lung Koon-tin, portraying U.S. President Donald Trump, performs on stage in "Trump, The Twins President", in Hong Kong, China, June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

A new stage production recently debuted in China that skewers President Donald Trump and his relationships with various world leaders.

NBC News reported Sunday that the Cantonese opera "Trump, the Twins President," just concluded a three-day run in Hong Kong's Xiqu Centre, with each showing playing to a sold-out audience. While the opera parodies multiple world leaders, the star is Trump, who is played by actor Lung Koon-tin in a garish blond wig and oversized eyebrows.

Playwright Li Kui-ming initially wrote the show in 2019, during Trump's first administration, but the newest version is updated with multiple references to Trump's second term. This includes the U.S. president referring to Canada as "the 51st state," his administration's attacks on Harvard University and even his very recent public dispute with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

The opera begins with an actor portraying Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka, having a dream in which her father has a twin brother in China named Chuan Pu (which roughly translates to "Trump" in Chinese). The show begins by chronicling the United States' initial foray with China in the 1970s, in which then-President Richard Nixon met with Chinese Premier Zhao Enlai — with a young Chuan Pu becoming disillusioned with China and moving to the U.S.

Notably, the opera also dramatizes Trump's 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Prior to the rally, the Ivanka character asked Chuan Pu to stand in for her father, who had been abducted by Martian aliens. Chuan Pu does not survive the assassination attempt, which sets off other events throughout the production. The show ends with Trump getting into a fist fight with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, with the two taking turns knocking each other down.

Li, who is a former journalist, told NBC he aimed to draw parallels between Trump and former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, as they both sought to shape the world around them "like a king." However, he insisted that Trump would "love my drama," and emphasized that the show's plot is "only a dream" and that it's not meant to be taken "very seriously."

"Trump, the Twins President" debuted as the United States prepares to enter into a new round of trade negotiations with Chinese officials in hopes of ending Trump's trade war with the Asian superpower. Trump's tariffs on the United States' top trade partner has effectively paralyzed commerce between the two nations, and the dearth of Chinese imports entering the U.S. may lead to stores having rows of empty shelves this summer.

Click here to read NBC's full report.

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