In Washington, access to power often comes through carefully orchestrated press conferences and official requests for interviews. But for Donald Trump, the path seems to be the easy one, which is to dial a number on his phone — as simple as that Trump’s personal number has become one of the best-kept secrets in political journalism, according to multiple reporters. The president has fielded dozens of impromptu phone calls from reporters in recent weeks, often answering without screening callers and engaging in brief off-the-cuff conversations about everything from politics to the ongoing conflict with Iran. The result, Semafo reported, was a strange new media ritual in which reporters phoned the president directly in the hope that he would pick up. The calls reportedly come at any time — late at night when Trump can’t sleep, in a good mood after golfing, or in the evening while watching TV. Some reporters even tried it shortly after he posted on the social media platform Truth Social, arguing that this was when he was most eager to share his thoughts.Trump has given more than 30 cellphone interviews to media outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Report. Earlier this month, ABC News’ Jonathan Carr and Rachel Scott conducted separate interviews with him on the same day, during which Trump briefed them on the progress of Iran’s actions.The calls occurred at various times, including late at night when the president couldn’t sleep, at night when he was watching TV, in a good mood after playing golf, and early in the morning when he started posting on Truth Social, although he was sometimes “a little grumpy at that time.”A White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Trump did not take the calls seriously and sometimes used them for entertainment. When the president takes calls, the official said, “he often has his full attention, putting them on speaker in front of a large group of people, and he’s chatting leisurely and engaging with them and having a lot of fun.”“Reporters who call him thinking they are serious reporters are frankly doing themselves a disservice.”The Atlantic recently noted that “these interviews rarely have a lasting impact on the nation’s understanding of the war.”“I feel like Frodo with the ring on,” said one Washington reporter who has spoken with Trump over the years. “I knew it was dangerous, but it kept beckoning to me.”The report’s authors said that early last week, after reading the 50th exclusive phone interview with Trump, they began obtaining the president’s phone number and calling him without asking colleague Shelby Talcott to test the idea that having the number was the “holy grail” of journalism. The Atlantic reports that Trump’s phone number may be sold to the highest bidder.Trump’s personal cell phone use increased between terms, the report said, as he changed his Manhattan area code to a Florida number that began circulating and he began texting more frequently with friends, businessmen and influential Republicans.
