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2 Atlantic reporters got a ‘butt dial’ from Trump after he turned down their interview. Here's what happened next
Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer have revealed how they recovered a derailed sit-down with Donald Trump to land two interviews, not just one.
Two Atlantic reporters have revealed how they recovered a derailed sit-down with Donald Trump to land two interviews, not just one. The saga saw reporters Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer get hold of the US president’s personal phone number and even receive a 1.28 am presidential “butt dial.”
In a new piece, Parker and Scherer revealed that they were lined up for a White House interview and photo shoot initially, set for either the Oval Office or the Lincoln Bedroom. However, in the week they were scheduled to interview Trump, the president suddenly scrapped the sit-down, and even took to Truth Social to blast them. In a March 18 post, Trump slammed Parker as a “Radical Left Lunatic” and claimed Scherer “virtually always LIES.”
In their article, the writers explained that someone on Trump’s team reminded him of some of their past coverage of him, which had not been very pleasant. They are not sure who told Trump about it, but the photo op and interview were cancelled as a result.
However, Parker and Scherer decided not to let a cancelled meeting stop them. They set about getting a direct line to the commander in chief.
“Don’t ask how we got his number,” they teased in the article, adding only that “the White House staff have imperfect control over Trump’s personal communication devices.”
1:28 A.M. butt dial from Donald Trump
The reporters recalled that on a Saturday morning in late March, they called Trump on his cellphone. The president answered.
“Who’s calling?” Trump asked, as a television could be heard playing in the background. At the time, he was at his Bedminster golf club and after Parker and Scherer introduced themselves, he was happy to talk to them.
Sharing their article on X, Scherer wrote, “So we called his cell and he picked up and spoke at length. He called weeks later at 1:28 am and later invited for an Oval Office interview.”
Parker later appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and shed some light on the surreal sequence of events, saying Trump’s call in the wee hours was accidental. “I should just say it was two conversations and actually one late night, 1:28 A.M. butt dial from the president,” she told host Joe Scarborough.
Following the “butt dial,” Parker and Scherer requested an in-person interview with the president again. However, their request was denied by Trump via an aide. However, nine days later, Trump invited the two of them to the Oval Office on April 24, and requested the presence of The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief – Jeffrey Goldberg. Notably, Trump previously blasted Goldberg as a “sleazebag” for his coverage of Signalgate.
The three of them accepted Trump’s offer, and finally, a second interview was held in the White House.
