Donald Trump has never failed to capitalize on an opportunity to tout himself, which he apparently did quite a bit back between the 1970s and 1990s.
Going by the name “John Miller” or “John Barron,” the Republican Presidential hopeful reportedly did his own public relations work, per the Washington Post‘s Marc Fisher and Will Hobson.
As pointed out by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Trump’s fictitious PR work likely included his time as an USFL owner with the New Jersey Generals.
An old 1985 feature by the Bergen Report indicated Trump would call reporters on the phone as “John Baron” to tout himself: “The guy sounds just like Donald, the same voice. Baron never shows up at General games.”
This lines up perfectly with the Washington Post column, which details some of the more disturbing details of his conversations with reporters in a non-sports setting. In case you aren’t convinced of this report’s validity, just take a listen to this audio recording, obtained by the Post.
The report also lines up with what Trump himself admitted in 1990 under oath (via the report) that “I believe on occasion I used that name,” which in that case was “John Miller.”
Trump, who once tried to buy the Buffalo Bills before throwing his hat into high politics, continues to make waves with his words as he steamrolls towards what appears to be an inevitable November showdown with Hillary Clinton for president.