The “Politico” news outlet reported on July 28 that sources revealed that to maintain a good relationship with President Donald Trump, several national leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, frequently called or texted Trump due to his keen interest in frequent and informal “chats.”
The report mentioned that during his first term, Trump’s actions surprised many leaders by voluntarily sharing his phone number and encouraging them to discard conventional diplomatic protocols and directly contact him via phone. Over the six months following the start of his second term, leaders hoping to maintain a positive relationship with Trump frequently called or texted him, sometimes discussing important international affairs and other times just for “chatting.”
An individual familiar with Trump’s call patterns stated, “His frequency of calls with many leaders far exceeded expectations, with many conversations being about specific, practical matters, but also more informal personal chats.” These leaders included French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“Politico” noted that despite the informality of these conversations, they were still surprising the assistants on the other end. An individual familiar with Trump’s interactions with Macron recalled that they greeted each other in a “brotherly” manner. He described the conversation scene as humorous—Trump would prolong his voice to say “Emanuele,” while Macron would respond with “Donald,” engaging in this back-and-forth interaction.
US officials have previously discussed Trump’s habit of “talking for hours.” The New Yorker magazine reported on July 21 that US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross told the New Yorker that he and Trump would talk almost every night, around one in the morning when he was just getting ready to sleep.
Ross revealed that their discussions covered “big issues,” such as tariffs, as well as “small things,” including sports events, people, and dining experiences. For instance, you might share a meal with someone, describe the person’s character, question whether you can trust what they’ve done, discuss the TV show you saw, how you felt about it, how your press conference went…
Ross added, “Trump would also call others at night.”