Donald Trump, arbiter of our nation’s most sensitive intelligence information, hands out his personal cell phone number and urges foreign leaders to call it, the Associated Press reports. At least one foreign diplomat—Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau—has taken the president up on that request.
According to the LA Times, this move breaks diplomatic protocol and raises concerns about the security of Trump’s communications.
News that Trump—who engaged in years-long condemnation of Hillary Clinton’s handling of classified information—is himself very likely a security risk lit up Twitter on Tuesday night.
Users shared deep concerns about the status of our nation’s most sensitive information:
In translation: Trump has been giving his insecure cell phone # to every hostile intelligence service there is. https://t.co/S3enIVrz03— Dan Murphy (@Dan Murphy)1496192999.0
Chances that nearly every hostile foreign intel service is listening in on Trump's private cell phone? Roughly 419% https://t.co/tQiF7LdxmT— Noah Shachtman (@Noah Shachtman)1496193758.0
And boy, did they have jokes:
"What is zis 'cell phone?' We don't have zis here" - macron when trump asked for his number— Sarah Thyre (@Sarah Thyre)1495926651.0
AP reporting that Trump invited global leaders to...call him on his cell phone...raising security concerns https://t.co/AfoH1JyLOB— Tim O'Brien (@Tim O'Brien)1496193055.0
TRUMP: "Hey Vlad! I'm glad we exchanged numbers. Call me any time." PUTIN: "New phone, who dis?" https://t.co/mEAMA3iZiv— Ben Howe (@Ben Howe)1496193441.0
Trump wants world leaders to call him on his cellphone and this is going to be in my head ALL DAY LONG. https://t.co/nn68eyOYyv— Jen Dudley-Nicholson (@Jen Dudley-Nicholson)1496192943.0
I have Donald Trump's cell number and am also the sultan of Brunei— Simon Maloy (@Simon Maloy)1496193564.0
Trump is home alone, stressed out, gaining weight, realizing job isn't good fit for him, asking world leaders to call him on his cell phone.— Nathaniel Friedman (@Nathaniel Friedman)1496193698.0
Trump to world leaders: You can call me Al Trump to world leaders: Call me call me any time Trump to world leaders: I just called to say I— Philip Bump (@Philip Bump)1496193595.0
