The complete list of pseudonyms used by Donald Trump and why the president-elect has used fake names
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A relatively little known fact about Donald Trump, who is set to be sworn in as US president on Monday, is his history of using pseudonyms to promote his own interests. The president-elect has been a figure on the US celebrity circuit since the 1980s, when he was a property tycoon in New York – which led him to frequently engage with the media.
Mr Trump’s staff at the time have confirmed to CNN that he has, at times, responded to requests for comments himself but under the guise of a spokesman. His biographer Michael D’Antonio wrote: “He’d be able to express things that he wanted expressed about himself by someone that wasn’t him.”.
According to various reports, Mr Trump followed in his father’s footsteps and would use different names to float ideas, raise his profile and plant gossip about his divorces. Mr Trump seems to have left the practice behind as he prepares to take office – but here is a run through his cast of characters to bring you up to speed.
The original and best known of Mr Trump’s characters is John Barron (whose surname could sometimes have just one ‘r’), an apparent spokesman for his affairs. Mr Barron was quoted in the press all the way through the 1980s, initially referenced, according to Fortune, as a voice to defend his controversial business deals.
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Mr Trump kept the Barron act going all the way through the decade, providing quotes in defence of his actions and spinning stories. According to the Post, in 1980, “Mr Barron” told the New York Times that Mr Trump was unable to respond to reports he was intending to destroy art sculptures. Mr Trump then, three days after first being approached, told a reporter he had been away.
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