did he giv reason? why does he want you to resign?

You do have a recording of him denying all knowledge, though. Which may make it harder for him to fire you and give bad references. It'd look suspicious for him to deny the conversation then do exactly that. That being said, it depends what exactly you recorded.

I'd say this sucks for you, but maybe he has his reasons? Then again, if he does, he could indeed just fire you. But honestly I think he's an ass. It sounds personal.

Be careful with people's recommendation to talk to HR. HR is there to protect the company, not you. That place already seems like a toxic environment, if he's going to fire you anyways, you'd have nothing to lose to ask for a month or so to at least find another job. What he is doing is really sucky, but hes allowed to do it. Just be careful with how you handle it.

You are lucky you do not live in 1 of the 11 Two party States that require you to get consent to record a person. If your cell phone is listed in a state other than the number you called your boss at you are guilty of Federal wire fraud violations. Just ask Linda Tripp ( she recorded Monica Lewinski and did Federal time for it. ) Be damn careful about telling HR you recorded your boss. That is likely grounds for being treated like crap. Also, be realistic this person is going to give you a bad reference even if you do leave within a month. However, He better have documented proof. That is why so many companies will not even give a good review. They will just say so and so worked here from X to X. something I copied from the web: Eleven states require the consent of every party to a phone call or conversation in order to make the recording lawful. These "two-party consent" laws have been adopted in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington. (Notes: (1) Illinois' two-party consent statute was held unconstitutional in 2014; (2) Hawai'i is in general a one-party state, but requires two-party consent if the recording device is installed in a private place; (3) Massachusetts bans "secret" recordings rather than requiring explicit consent from all parties.). Although they are referred to as "two-party consent" laws, consent must be obtained from every party to a phone call or conversation if it involves more than two people. In some of these states, it might be enough if all parties to the call or conversation know that you are recording and proceed with the communication anyway, even if they do not voice explicit consent.

Research your states labor laws. In NY state your boss can't give any reference unless you are specifically using them as a reference. But if a company you are interviewing with calls your old employer to verify you worked there, all they can do is say if you worked there or not and that's it.

I've recently had two teachers that resigned due to the same situation. They were told to resign or they would be fired. OP, you have to look at yourself in this situation. Perhaps you are performing poorly, but your boss likes you. It looks better if you resign than if you are fired. Your boss could be trying to make finding another job much easier. If you resign, your boss is able to give you good references, but if he fires you, then he has to explain why you were fired.

wow! what an asshat! you should set his house on fire and see how he likes that. who's fired now, jackass!?

Is there any reason for him asking you to resign or does he simply not like you? If there is no reason, I'm sure you can report him.

Schedule a meeting with HR. Tell them what the boss told you exactly. This way, if it happens, they knew what he was planning to do and he'll be pulled into HR if he fires you, and your job has some level of protection.