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Richmond man who looks like Trump lands on front page of Reddit

Posted at 11:46 AM, Dec 13, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-14 07:17:16-05

RICHMOND, Va. -- If you were to ask Dan Cummins -- and I did -- he will tell you he never saw the resemblance.

But then, one day earlier this year, a friend sent him a side-by-side photo.

On one side, a picture of the retired Richmond real estate broker.

On the other side, an image of New York real estate mogul and, at the time, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Donald Trump (left) and Dan Cummins

Donald Trump (left) and Dan Cummins

"You look a lot like Trump!" Cummins, 68, recalled his friend said in the message. "You should do something about that."

Cummins said he was initially annoyed with the suggestion and wanted nothing to do with the idea.

Not because he necessarily had a problem with Trump -- Cummins called himself an independent who votes for candidates on both sides of the aisle -- but because he enjoyed retired life on his couch.

"The hardest part of my day is trying to find the remote for the TV!" he quipped.

But he eventually gave in and allowed his friend to submit pictures to a Los Angeles-based talent agency.

Within days, they booked Cummins for a Vanity Fair photo shoot in London.

Dan Cummins as Donald Trump

Dan Cummins as Donald Trump

Plane problems delayed Cummins' arrival in Great Britain and he said he ended up getting paid to watch another Trump lookalike get his photo taken.

Then came an opportunity to dress up like Trump again, this time for a commercial to be filmed in Germany.

Alas, a passport problem prevented him for booking that gig.

Cummins figured demand for his newfound talent would dry up after the election, but when Trump was voted president -- Cummins saw an opportunity to put down the remote and get off the couch.

"Now that he's going to be in office I am going to try and find an impersonator school," the Long Island native said about plans to capitalize on his Trump-like look. "When you put the makeup on me and hair and all -- it is a little spooky."

Cummins recently put on his Trump costume to attend a party.

That's when a neighbor spotted him walking his dog and snapped a photo.

That photo was posted on Reddit, where it received enough up-votes to make the influential website's front page - generating thousands of comments, clicks, and views.

The photo posted on Reddit. (PHOTO: Lucy Musarra)

The photo posted on Reddit. (PHOTO: Lucy Musarra)

"I never knew about this Reddit thing," Cummins said. "I got an email from my niece in California. She said 'you're a star!' I was overwhelmed with the response."

While Cummins is having some fun with his Internet fame, his wife is a little less enthusiastic about the idea.

"She worries about how some people might react to the costume," Cummins said.

"It really is fun to dress up," he admitted.

Dan Cummins as Donald Trump

Dan Cummins as Donald Trump

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