How freaked out and ticked off is Trump over the spanking he got from SCOTUS on tariffs? So much so that he’s not content to personally air his attacks on them as Donald Epstein… er, Trump. No, he’s resurrecting old aliases he used back in his heyday in NYC decades ago. Back then Trump thought it would be useful to pretend to be certain PR guys to sing his praises since no actual person other than him would. Folks figured it out of course. There were a variety of aliases but the two most common we think of are ‘David Dennison’ and ‘John Barron.’ And ‘John Barron called C-SPAN to complain about the SCOTUS decision!
This friends is a sign of both extreme desperation and weakness. Trump has to be batsh*t insane to think everyone wouldn’t know it’s him. The voice, the phrasing – it’s pure Trump under the guise of one of his old FAKE PR alter-egos. I’ll admit my reaction when I first started to read this Buzzfeed story about this incident was ‘Wait – Trump knows about C-SPAN?’ I find it interesting at times and in fact will probably tune in there to watch the SOTU. (I can listen to the pundits/chattering classes well before and well afterwards) However if you ever watch it let’s just say typical C-SPAN stuff, call-in shows aren’t exactly gripping TV.
But Trump decided to get engaged there and some poor intern had to sit there with their phone volume turned down waiting on hold until Donnie Depends Diaper’s turn came up in the queue of callers. Was he ashamed to speak under his own name? Or did he think he could fool people the way he only thought he fooled people decades ago? Either way as I said trotting out one of his old fake PR guy personas tells me Trump is cracking under all the pressure. He had quite a few: In addition to the most well known by the country at-large which are David Dennison and John Barron there was also John Miller and Carolin Gallego. I hadn’t known about that last one but please, please let there be someone with a recording of whatever accent Trump used for THAT one!
If memory serves ‘David Dennison’ came up in the Stormy Daniels trial stuff. That’s still (always will be) a sore spot for Trump but he was lucid enough to think folks might remember that name/alias and make the connection. So, for this he went to tried and fake-true John Barron to air his grievances. Perhaps as a nod to his son Barron, and Melania? That could actually backfire if ‘Melanie’ starts thinking her P.O.S. hubby who’d already named a son after himself used a FAKE name he’d been fond of going by to name HER ‘precious’ baby boy! No matter. Trump called in and in no time at all it started getting attention on social media. As for what Trump said, it’s the kind of blather that seems like what he’d say if he was complaining but trying to behave while doing so:
“Well, this is John Barron. Look, this is the worst decision you ever have in your life, practically,” the caller said. “This is a terrible decision. And you have Hakeem Jeffries, who…he’s a dope. And you have Chuck Schumer, who can’t cook a cheeseburger. Of course, these people are happy. But true Americans will not be happy.”
The caller then referred to a previous caller he assumed was a Democrat as “disgraced” and “devastated,” right before Greta abruptly ended the call.
I really wish she hadn’t cut him off. He was just getting started and if she’d let him continue to ramble we’d have gotten an epic word salad of stuff that would be even more devastating to both Trump and Republicans than the host let us get. Now, you might be asking how can we be sure it’s actually Trump? Well, in addition to the text, you can listen for yourself and make your own judgement:
🚨 NO WAY 😭
“John Barron” just called @CSPAN to complain about the Supreme Court nuking Trump’s tariffs.
Yes — that John Barron.
The fake name Trump used for decades.They cut him off mid-call.
💀You cannot make this up. 😂🥴 pic.twitter.com/iOPLRebnYa
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) February 22, 2026
As Buzzfeed says, many online are convinced it Trump trying (and failing) to disguise that it’s him on the phone after dusting the cobwebs off an old pseudpnym. Comments include things like “Was that someone trying to sound like Trump or Trump trying to sound like someone else.” Another comment provides an answer for that one: “Listen, I enjoy animated features and figuring out what actor is voicing the characters. You can’t tell me that’s not Donald.”
Alas, Trump and his minions have instilled no small measure of fear into journalism overall. There’s some hand-wringing, hoping it’s not really Trump but just a very good impersonator. For example, you have Medi Hassan who was only naturalized in 2020 saying “Surely it’s an impersonator. right. Right?” Fortunately there are others who have no qualms about calling this out as pure Trump. Like Trump tormenter George Conway who’s tweet read “If this is an impression, it’s the best I’ve ever heard.” If you’re an old fart like me you remember Rich Little. HE could have pulled off sounding exactly like Trump on the phone with ease. However there’s never been anyone with Little’s ability since.
Buzzfeed suggests that there’s even discussion about whether it’s Trump or not is an issue. I’ve already made my position clear. It’s Trump. Desperate Donald who feels so much loss of ability to control the narrative these days that his dementia has him regressing. To a time when he could call up some newspaper in NYC to plant a story he thought would make him look good. I’d love for a journalist with no f**ks to give to point blank ask KKKaroline Leavitt (during a live press room briefing) if she’s concerned about Trump replacing her – with John Barron, or David Dennison!
That’s too much to hope for but the clip of John Barron/Trump is out there on the internet. Elon can erase it from Xitter but plenty have copied it. Let’s hope funnier and more creative people than me take this and go to town with all kinds of ‘totally very actually real’ press statements from John Barron, David Dennison and the others. Plus some new (mocking) names for Trump alter-ego PR flacks.
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
Alter-Ego? More like ‘Falter-Ego’ had his barrow was ‘factually barron’.
There’s technology that’d nail this in a mo? Pray that it is applied by someone who knows how to verify the dulcet Donald tones.
what exactly does he think is going to happen? he’ll get scotus to reverse their decision? they don’t do that. brond that he’s totally oblivious tp how much of a fool he makes himself look.
Wait, wait, wait. You fell for this??
Bwahahahahahahaha!!! and it’s not even April fools day!!!
Some genius who does a good Trump impression and knew about his past alias (like you apparently did) crank called c-span and you not only got fooled by it but were inspired to write a long winded, self important, butt hurt piece (of junk) about it.
Precious, just too precious!