A man ostensibly named John Barron, a known alias of President Donald Trump, called into C-SPAN Sunday morning to criticize the Supreme Court decision that struck down the use of tariffs.
The caller sounded similar to Trump, but it’s entirely possible the man could have impersonated the president’s voice.
“Look, this is the worst decision you ever have in your life, practically. … This is a terrible decision,” Barron said before going on a tirade about Democrats opposed to Trump’s tariff agenda.
“And you have Hakeem Jeffries, who — he’s a dope. And you have Chuck Schumer, who can’t cook a cheeseburger,” he added. “Of course, these are people happy, but true Americans will not be happy. And you have the woman earlier — I assume she’s a woman, she’s a Democrat — but she’s … devastated by this.”
CSPAN host Greta Brawner then cut him off and gave airtime to the next caller. Brawner noted Barron was a Republican from Virginia.
When speaking with journalists during the 1980s and 1990s, Trump used the fake name to distance himself from public statements. Extensive reporting shows he used the name in the past, but Trump denied posing as a spokesperson in a 1991 phone call. In 1990, the businessman admitted in court that he had used the name “on occasion.”
In a landmark decision on Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs were unlawfully implemented under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The president first used the national emergency law last year to justify imposing tariffs on foreign nations.
Trump said the ruling was “deeply disappointing” and that he was “ashamed of certain members of the court … for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country.” He has frequently argued that his tariffs are meant to strengthen national security.
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Neglecting the ruling, Trump announced he is implementing a 15% global tariff by invoking Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. The initial worldwide tariff rate was 10%. It remains to be seen if the rate is raised even higher.
Trump indicated he would not ask Congress for its permission to impose the tariffs. By voting on Trump’s decision to tax imported Canadian goods earlier this month, some Republicans joined almost all Democrats in signaling their opposition to the administration’s broad use of tariffs. The House vote arrived over a week before the Supreme Court handed down its highly anticipated decision.
