In Washington, access to power usually comes through carefully arranged press briefings and official interview requests. But with Donald Trump, the path seems to be an easy one, and that is to dial on his cellphone- as simple as it is According to multiple reporters, Trump’s personal number has become one of the worst-kept secrets in political journalism. The president has fielded dozens of impromptu calls from journalists in recent weeks, often answering without screening the caller and launching into brief, off-the-cuff conversations about everything from politics to the ongoing Iran conflict. The result is a strange new media ritual, reporters dialing the president directly in hopes he’ll pick up, Semafor reported. Calls reportedly come at all hours — late at night when Trump can’t sleep, after a round of golf when he’s in a good mood, or while he’s watching television in the evening.
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Some journalists even try moments after he posts on his social media platform, Truth Social, believing he’s then most eager to share his thoughts.Trump conducted more than 30 cell phone interviews, speaking to reporters from outlets ranging from The New York Times to Washington Reporter. Earlier this month, ABC News’ Jonathan Karl and Rachel Scott each conducted separate interviews with him on the same day, during which Trump told them each how well the Iranian operation was going.The calls came at varied times, including late at night when the President could not sleep, in the evenings while he watched TV, after a game of golf when he was in a good mood, and early in the morning as soon as he started posting to Truth Social, though he was sometimes “a little snappy at that hour”.A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump did not take the calls seriously and sometimes used them for amusement. When the President picked up, “he is often preoccupied, puts them on speaker in front of a large group of people, and he is loosely chatting and has fun messing with them,” the official said.“Reporters who think they are being serious journalists by calling him are frankly doing themselves a disservice.”The Atlantic recently noted, “Few of these interviews have led to a lasting impact on the nation’s understanding of the war.”“I feel like Frodo with the ring,” one Washington journalist who has spoken with Trump over the years said. “I know it’s dangerous, but it keeps beckoning me.”The writer of the account said that early last week, after reading what felt like the 50th exclusive phone interview with Trump, they set out to obtain the President’s number and call him, without asking colleague Shelby Talcott, to test the idea that possessing the number was a “holy grail” of access journalism. The Atlantic reported that Trump’s number may be for sale to the highest bidder.It said Trump’s personal cell phone usage increased between his two terms, as he swapped Manhattan area code numbers for a Florida number that began to circulate, and he started texting more regularly with friends, businesspeople and influential Republicans.
