Trump still uses personal phone
US President Donald Trump continues to rely on his personal cellphone, despite repeated warnings from aides and security experts about foreign surveillance risks, The Atlantic reported on Monday.
The phone remains Trump's main link to the outside world, connecting him with friends, family, lawmakers, corporate leaders, celebrities, world leaders, and journalists, sources close to the president told the outlet. He also often answers calls from unknown numbers, reportedly viewing them as opportunities for spontaneous conversations, they claim.
'He likes to call people. He likes to be called,' one adviser reportedly said. Another noted that 'probably a ton' of people have Trump's personal number, while a third estimated the figure at 'well over 100.'
President Trump at Mar-a-Lago on the phone working. An absolute machine 🔥 pic.twitter.com/PBjw4EpRWv
Trump reportedly uses multiple devices, with at least one dedicated to social media.
Several sources claim Trump often leaves lengthy voicemails and inquires if recipients have shared his messages with relatives and friends.
They also claim Trump distrusts White House landlines, fearing eavesdropping by what he sees as the 'deep state.'
'His perspective was, 'I can't trust anyone on the White House staff, so I have to use my cellphone,'' a former adviser told the outlet.
Security officials have long warned Trump that personal phones are vulnerable to hacking and wiretapping. In late 2024, the FBI claimed Chinese hackers had breached US telecom networks, allowing them to eavesdrop on calls involving Trump and other political figures. Despite the concerns, the president reportedly dismissed the warnings.
'He'd just reject it and say, 'It's not true,'' a former adviser said. 'He'd say, 'My phone is the best on the market.'' Advisers eventually gave up trying to limit his phone use, the sources claimed, although one said the devices had been upgraded with additional security features.
The White House declined to confirm those details. 'We will not discuss or disclose security measures regarding the President, especially to The Atlantic,' Communications Director Steven Cheung told the outlet in an emailed statement.
The White House recently had issues with the magazine after an Atlantic editor gained access to an internal chat involving senior Trump officials discussing a strike against the Houthi militants and then writing a story about it.
Cheung defended Trump's approach, saying his use of a personal phone makes him 'the most transparent and accessible President in American history.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
36 minutes ago
- Russia Today
Kremlin confirms Putin warning after Ukrainian drone strikes
Russian President Vladimir Putin told his US counterpart, Donald Trump, that Moscow would respond to Ukraine's recent attacks on Russian airbases, the Kremlin has confirmed. Following a phone call with Putin on Wednesday, Trump announced on his Truth Social account that the two leaders had discussed Ukraine's recent drone strikes on docked Russian airplanes and 'various other attacks.' According to Trump, Putin had told him 'very strongly that he will have to respond' to the attacks. Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin had told Trump about an upcoming response. However, Peskov did not disclose any details about what the retaliation would entail, stating only that it would be carried out 'when and how our military deems appropriate.' Ukrainian drones hit multiple Russian airbases on Sunday in a coordinated assault. Targets ranged from Murmansk in the Arctic to Irkutsk in Siberia. Kiev claims the strikes damaged or destroyed approximately 40 Russian military aircraft, including Tu-95 and Tu-22 long-range bombers. Moscow, however, has stated that the aircraft were only damaged and would undergo repairs. Kiev also committed railway sabotage over the weekend, killing at least seven people and injuring over 110 in Russia's Bryansk and Kursk regions. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) also reported on Thursday that an explosive device had damaged a railway track in Voronezh Region, and that the blast had occurred 'directly in front of an approaching train.' Severe consequences were only prevented by 'the professional actions of the train driver and crew, who noticed the track damage and carried out emergency braking,' the agency added. Putin has described the railway sabotage incidents as 'undoubtedly a terrorist act' committed by the 'illegitimate regime in Kiev,' claiming that it was 'gradually turning into a terrorist organization.' Shortly after Trump and Putin's phone call on Wednesday, the US Embassy in Kiev issued a security alert, warning of a 'continued risk of significant air attacks.' The US State Department has advised Americans currently in Ukraine to identify shelter locations in advance and keep reserves of water, food, and medication.
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Pentagon redirects missile components from Kiev to own forces
The Pentagon has redirected key missile components originally intended for Ukraine's air defense to American forces in the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing a confidential notification sent to Congress last week. The move comes as US President Donald Trump has been winding down support for Ukraine since entering office. According to the WSJ, the move concerns proximity fuzes used in ground-based Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) – a guided rocket system that Ukraine has reportedly been using for the past several years to shoot down drones. The fuzes were acquired under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative under former US President Joe Biden. Although funding for the initiative has already been spent, previously approved shipments are still scheduled to arrive in Ukraine later this year and the next. However, the WSJ has claimed that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the transfer of the fuzes via an internal memo last month, designating it as a 'Secretary of Defense Identified Urgent Issue.' The decision was reportedly communicated to the Senate Armed Services Committee, although the Pentagon has declined to comment publicly. Citing anonymous sources and internal documents, the WSJ said the US Air Force intends to use the reallocated fuzes in rockets mounted on F-16 and F-15E fighter jets. The redirection was permitted under an emergency military spending bill passed last year. Celeste Wallander, who served as a senior Defense Department official during the Biden administration, told the WSJ that while the systems have been 'vital' to Ukraine's air defense, there is also an 'urgent requirement to protect US personnel and bases in the Middle East against Houthi and potentially Iranian drone attacks.' The WSJ report comes after Hegseth skipped a NATO meeting this week focused on coordinating military aid to Ukraine. It marked the first time the head of the Pentagon had missed a gathering of the group and came amid Hegseth's repeated criticism of continued US involvement in the Ukraine conflict. President Trump has frequently questioned continued military support for Ukraine, and has called for the conflict to be resolved diplomatically while pushing Moscow and Kiev to reach a peace deal. Russian officials have condemned foreign arms shipments to Kiev throughout the conflict, arguing they will not alter the course of the war but will lead to further escalation and casualties.
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Russia Today
Trump views Zelensky as ‘bad guy'
US President Donald Trump is frustrated with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, seeing him as a 'bad guy' who is pushing the world closer to nuclear conflict, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing sources. Unnamed Trump advisers told the NYT that the president is 'exasperated' with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky, but 'reserves special animosity' for the Ukrainian leader, who he has publicly criticized on several occasions. Although Trump has said it is 'understandable' that Ukraine wants to keep fighting, his stance toward Zelensky is notably harsher than toward Putin, the report says. The US president reportedly tends to be more deferential to his Russian counterpart, and previously believed that their 'very, very good relationship' would help end the conflict. Because of this, he has thus far refrained from imposing new sanctions on Moscow. On Wednesday, the two leaders held a 75-minute phone conversation in which Trump said they discussed Ukraine's recent attack on Russian airbases that reportedly host strategic aircraft. 'President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,' Trump said. The Kremlin confirmed the conversation. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said Putin informed Trump of Ukraine's efforts to derail peace talks between Moscow and Kiev, including 'terrorist' attacks on civilian targets. Ushakov was apparently referring to incidents of railroad sabotage in the regions of Bryansk and Kursk in which seven people died and more than 100 were injured. Following the call, Zelensky posted a statement on Telegram, saying: 'If the world reacts weakly to Putin's threats, then he perceives this as the world's readiness to turn a blind eye to his actions… If the strong do not stop Putin, it means that they share responsibility with him.' Trump previously engaged in a public spat with Zelensky when the two met at the White House in late February. At the time, the US president accused Zelensky of 'gambling with World War III,' and of being 'disrespectful' and ungrateful for American support.
