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By Joshua Rhett Miller
Senior Reporter
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Rylan Ferguson insists he was just having a little fun when he mimicked Donald Trump at a rally in Georgia on Wednesday, and not at the president's expense.
The 7-foot-tall self-proclaimed "extrovert" said his viral impersonation stemmed from respect for the commander in chief, characterizing his actions as a "sincere form of flattery" during an interview on Friday.
"I was very comfortable," Ferguson, 21, told Newsweek, adding that he graduated from Wheeler High School, where Trump spoke, just two years earlier. "My friends were sitting right beside me and because of that, you know, I felt very comfortable."
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Ferguson, a junior at the University of Alabama majoring in finance, said he wasn't even sure he was shown on camera during the bulk of his impersonation.
"So, you know, I was just having a little fun," he explained. "At the end of the day, I was just having fun with it."
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Ferguson said he was slightly taken aback by the massive response he's received from friends, associates and reporters following his impromptu impersonation, but doesn't regret his actions.
"I'm a very extroverted person," he said. "I guess I'm not camera shy, so that's kind of what happened. If you know me, that's just my personality."
Ferguson said he's known among friends for his "really good" impersonation of Trump, but insisted he had no plans to take over Wednesday's rally. The native of Marietta, Georgia, said he knew he had to attend once learning the president would be visiting his former high school.
"It could've been Biden, it could've been Obama," he said. "I wouldn't care. A sitting president coming to your high school—that just doesn't happen every day."
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Ferguson, who considers himself politically independent, hopes to meet Trump one day, although he expects his newfound fame to subside quickly, he said.
"I think that'd be cool, but I think this will probably blow over soon," he said. "But everyone wants to talk about it, I get it; it's known all over the world."
Footage of Ferguson went viral online Wednesday after he mouthed Trump's speech and imitated his hand gestures on several occasions during the rally. Some observers noted the animated attendee appeared to be in search of "his 15 minutes" as Trump spoke.
"This made me laugh out loud and I voted for him," another post read. "Well done whomever you are."
Comedian Jimmy Fallon also got into the act, later claiming that Ferguson had been a "little distracting" during Trump's speech.
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Ferguson said he didn't even decide to go to Trump's rally until early Wednesday after a friend relayed the news.
"My friend was like, 'You've got to go,'" he said. "So, I'm like, OK, I'm going to get dressed up in a suit because at the end of the day, you're going to meet a sitting president of the United States."
Ferguson acknowledged that his actions riled some observers, although he insisted he had no malicious motive.
"Some people are criticizing me," he told Newsweek. "Some people on the right said it's rude, and then other people on the left, you know, they were really excited about it. People are spinning it their own way, but at the end of the day, I was just having fun. Anyone that knows me knows that I'm like this."
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Sam Wilson.
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