Donald Trump Reportedly Posed As His Own Publicist To Boast About All The Women Who Liked Him
It's almost difficult to keep track of Donald Trump's transformation and career changes. He's been a businessman, a wrestler, a reality TV star, and a politician. But despite his many rebrands, Trump, at his core, has always loved the spotlight. Which is why it isn't exactly surprising that he reportedly used to have an alter ego that went by John Miller or John Barron (ahem!).
In the 80s, Barron posed as a Vice President of the Trump Organization, issuing statements supporting Trump's decisions. One such memo was sent to The New York Times in 1985, backing Trump, who recently asked his fellow stakeholders in his football (rugby, for the Brits) company to refund an expense he'd paid for alone.
By the 90s, John Miller was more vocal and happily dished on all the steamy gossip in Trump's love life. During one recorded phone conversation with People Magazine's Sue Carswell in 1991, he explained how the ladies just couldn't get enough of Donald even though he was with Marla Maples: "He's somebody that has a lot of options, and, frankly, he gets called by everybody. He gets called by everybody in the book, in terms of women." But thanks to Miller's voice and choice of words, people got suspicious, and eventually, Trump had to come clean.
Trump called the fake publicist conversations a joke
One of the major plot holes in John Miller's calls was that his voice sounded just like Donald Trump's. Another was that he sidestepped questions about who he was. When Sue Carswell asked about his work history, he replied, "I basically worked for different firms ... I'm somebody that [Trump] knows, and I think somebody that he trusts and likes. So I'm going to do this a little part-time, and then, yeah, go on with my life, too."
More incriminatingly, Trump had previously admitted to using John Barron as an alias while being questioned in court in 1990: "I believe on occasion I used that name," he said (via The Washington Post). Soon enough, People confronted him with the facts, and surprisingly, he reportedly owned up and called the calls a joke: "What I did became a good time at Marla's expense, and I'm very sorry." Ironically, at the end of their marriage, rumors claimed that it was Marla Maples who cheated on Trump — twice!
Since Trump stepped into the political limelight, however, he's taken back his admission and apology: "It was not me on the phone. And it doesn't sound like me on the phone, I'll tell you that," he said on "Today" in 2016. He also refused to speak about whether he'd hired a John Miller. So far, no John Miller (or Barron) has come forward to take responsibility for the calls.
Donald Trump was confronted by the victims of John Miller's stories
During his 1991 call to Sue Carswell and other publications, John Miller boldly talked about Donald Trump's alleged relationships with various models. Miller added that the businessman wasn't committed to Marla Maples or ready to settle down: "I can tell you there was never any talk of marriage from Donald's point of view. I can also say that Marla would've liked to get married, obviously, but it was just something he didn't want to do. It's just too soon."
Miller explained that Trump was considering his many options, one of which was Italian French supermodel Carla Bruni, who is now married to Nicolas Sarkozy, former president of France. "She dropped Mick Jagger for Donald, and that's where it is right now," he said. He also claimed that Trump was propositioned by Madonna and referred to a previously written news story about the pair. When Carswell interjected that they'd never written about Madona and Trump, Miller had a good explanation: "Well, she called and wanted to go out with him, that I can tell you ... By the way, I'm sort of new here."
However, both women have publicly denied any relationship with Trump. Bruni called the claims untrue, while Madonna said the former president makes up lies to mask insecurities. Given these receipts, Trump will likely find it difficult to beat these allegations.