Overview
- Trump, who took a brief call with LCI’s Margot Haddad on Tuesday during a White House meeting on Iran, said he was “managing directly” and offered no details.
- The exchange was his first direct answer to a French television outlet in his current term after Haddad spent months obtaining his personal number.
- Reporters say he has kept the same mobile number since his first term and often answers unknown or masked calls, which has let about thirty journalists reach him since the Iran escalation began.
- The Times has reported that U.S. intelligence warned his calls could likely be intercepted by Chinese services, prompting questions about reliance on a long-held personal phone.
- A White House spokeswoman calls him “the most transparent and accessible” president, and reporters describe speakerphone use, brief replies, and better odds of reaching him in the evening or after golf.