Donald Trump adamantly denied Friday morning that he often made phone calls to reporters in the early 1990s posing as a publicist after the Washington Post unearthed an audio recording that appears to point to the contrary.
The newspaper published more than 14 minutes of a recording between former People magazine reporter Sue Carswell and a man identified as John Miller — with a cadence that is remarkably like that of the Manhattan real estate tycoon. In the recording, Miller speaks freely, haltingly and openly about Trump's relationships with his ex-wife, Marla Maples and many girlfriends.
"I basically worked for different firms," Miller said when asked where he came from. "I worked for a couple of different firms, and I'm somebody that he knows, and I think somebody that he trusts and likes. So I'm going to do this a little part-time and then go on with my life, too."
In the familiar deep Queens voice, the supposed publicist candidly boasted of Trump's successes with women, real estate and finances. And as the Washington Post noted, several people who Carswell shared the audio recording with recognized Trump's voice instantly — including his then-girlfriend Maples.
In a July 1991 People article, Maples acknowledged that she "heard his voice on that tape saying those things" as she discussed the pair's relationship. Trump also reportedly testified in 1990 that he "believe[s] on occasion I used that name."
Yet the presidential candidate denied masquerading as Miller — or as John Barron, another pseudonym allegedly Trump would use when he wanted to play the role of his own public relations specialist, according to the Post — during a testy interview with NBC's "Today" Friday morning.
"No, it doesn't sound like my voice at all. I have many, many people that are trying to imitate my voice, and you can imagine that, and this sounds like one of the scams, one of the many scams," Trump said Friday. "Doesn't sound like me."
Trump went on to deny ever admitting that he played the role of Miller — even as a joke — in the past, contending that he didn't have knowledge of that.
"No, it was not me on the phone, and it doesn't sound like me on the phone, I'll tell you that, and it was not me on the phone," Trump argued. "And when was this? Twenty-five years ago? Wow, you mean you're going so low as to talk about something that took place 25 years ago about whether or not I made a phone call I guess you'd say under a presumed name."
The businessman then put an end to the topic by suggesting the "Today" hosts "get on to more current subjects."
The Post reported that using the pseudonym "Barron" was not unusual for Trump, who even gave the moniker to his 10-year-old son. Trump reportedly also used the name while leaving messages to Maples when he was still married to Ivana Trump, and requested the name of the lead character in a television show based on a New York real estate mogul to be "Barron."
The Trump campaign could not be reached for comment by time of publication.
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