A man called into C-SPAN, impersonating US President Donald Trump, on Friday, and denounced the Supreme Court's ruling on tariffs, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Chatter spread across social media, questioning whether the man, identified as Virginia Republican "John Barron," an alias Trump has previously used, was the caller, with C-SPAN confirming that the caller was not the president in a Sunday X/Twitter post.
"Because so many of you are talking about Friday’s C-SPAN caller who identified himself as 'John Barron,' we want to put this to rest: it was not the president," C-SPAN wrote.
"The call came from a central Virginia phone number and came while the president was in a widely covered, in-person White House meeting with the governors," the broadcaster added.
"Tune into C-SPAN for the actual president at the State of the Union Address on Tuesday night," the post concluded.
'The worst decision in your life, practically'
The caller, impersonating Trump, said that the Supreme Court's ruling was "the worst decision you've ever had in your life, practically... This is a terrible decision."
"You have Hakeem Jeffries, who, he's a dope. And you have Chuck Schumer, who can't cook a cheeseburger," the impersonator added.
"Of course, these people are happy. But true Americans will not be happy," the caller continued, citing a previous female Democrat caller, who he stated was also "devastated" by the ruling.
"Of course these people are happy. But true Americans will not be happy, and you have the women earlier, I assume she's a woman - she's a Democrat, but she said she - it's a disgrace, she's devastated by this."
It remains unclear if the caller was doing a Trump voice impersonation or using AI, or other software, in an attempt to duplicate Trump's voice.
What was the Supreme Court ruling on Trump's tariffs?
On Friday, the Supreme Court struck down Trump's sweeping tariffs that he pursued under a law meant for use in national emergencies, rejecting one of his most contentious assertions of his authority in a ruling with major implications for the global economy.
Trump has leveraged tariffs - taxes on imported goods - as a key economic and foreign policy tool.
They have been central to a global trade war that Trump initiated after he began his second term as president, one that has alienated trading partners, affected financial markets, and caused global economic uncertainty.
In response, Trump announced a 10% across-the-board tariff on Friday, raising it to 15% on US imports from all countries, the maximum level allowed under the law, after the US Supreme Court struck down his previous tariff program.
Reuters contributed to this report.