Donald Trump Had A Hilarious Cameo In A 1997 Superhero TV Show You Likely Forgot

Donald Trump is many things — a real estate mogul, a former president, and an actor specializing in bit parts. Everyone remembers his infamous cameo in "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," which he insists he didn't bully his way into. Reality TV appearances on "The Apprentice" notwithstanding, Trump can also be seen in "Zoolander," "The Drew Carey Show," and "NightMan." If it's your first time hearing about that last credit, you're not alone.

Sadly, "NightMan" isn't an adaptation of Charlie Day's musical from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." It was a short-lived superhero television show based on a series from Malibu Comics that followed the excellently named Johnny Domino (Matt McColm), a San Francisco jazz musician who develops the ability to pick up on evil frequencies after getting struck by lightning. Other than being able to telepathically pick up on nefarious tendencies, he didn't have any other powers but made do with random gadgets, such as a mask lens that fires lasers. 

Trump's cameo came in the Season 1 episode "Face to Face," in which the bad guy receives plastic surgery allowing him to modify his appearance to resemble anyone else's. At one point, the antagonist morphs to look like Donald Trump. And yes, the morphing sequence is terrible in the most delightfully '90s way imaginable. 

The "NightMan" scene in question sees the bad guy needing some extra cash, so he morphs into Donald Trump to make a withdrawal. Once he enters the bank, he's paired up with an employee played by Jim Hanks, who's an actor in his own right but is notable for being the brother of Tom Hanks. The whole thing, even after the face-morphing sequence, is downright bizarre because it really seems as though Trump isn't physically there. He's only briefly in the episode, but many of his shots are extreme close-ups of his face, while any full-body shots appear to have been filmed in front of a green screen.

There don't seem to be any comments from Jim Hanks about his time working with Donald Trump (if the two were even ever in the same room together). However, his brother, Tom, certainly isn't a fan and made that opinion known throughout Trump's presidency. On "In Depth with Graham Bensinger" in 2020, Tom Hanks said of Trump, "I think with the administration the way it's been, I'm not sure the man took his oath seriously."

"NightMan" wasn't around long, but it boasted plenty of notable guest stars outside of Trump, such as David Hasselhoff, Jerry Springer, and Little Richard. And if you want to see Trump's "NightMan" cameo for yourself, the entire series is available to watch for free on Tubi. If nothing else, "NightMan" paints Trump in a better light than the infamous "Trump Smells" commercial.