January 25, 2017

"These are the most beautiful phones I’ve ever used in my life... The words just explode in the air."

Trump loves the White House telephones.

According to a NYT article about Trump's life in the White House, which supposedly follows this pattern:
His mornings, he said, are spent as they were in Trump Tower. He rises before 6 a.m., watches television tuned to a cable channel first in the residence, and later in a small dining room in the West Wing, and looks through the morning newspapers: The New York Times, The New York Post and now The Washington Post.

But his meetings now begin at 9 a.m., earlier than they used to, which significantly curtails his television time. Still, Mr. Trump, who does not read books, is able to end his evenings with plenty of television.

In between, Mr. Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office and has meetings in the West Wing.
 So... he's admiring the telephone and watching a lot of TV. Noted.

114 comments:

roesch/voltaire said...

And while on the phone, he loves signing executive orders.

Dude1394 said...

And building a wall, and securing the border, and building keystone and stopping all uncompleted executive actions and doing a reset on epa grants.

Busy dude.

great Unknown said...

If he likes words that just explode in the air, he should buy a Samsung.

n.n said...

He's reducing his carbon footprint, and realizing positive progress, one baby step at a time.

SayAahh said...

As usual more fake news from the NYT. Trump "....watches television tuned to a cable channel..."
It has been reported, on less biased media, that DJT watches parts of Fox and Friends morning show on FOX. But the Times can't divulge that can they? Or the fact that Trump scans the WSJ.
The WaPo and NYT are the Trump opposition and a hostile one at that.

Mark said...

Hope people like paying taxes to build his wall, suckers.

bgates said...

Still, Mr. Trump, who does not read books, is able to end his evenings with plenty of television.

Somehow I had gotten the idea that spending lots of time watching tv was the hallmark of the modern intellectual. Now, where did that notion come from? Oh, yeah: Obama's TV Picks

By his own accounts, Mr. Obama is drawn in his spare time to shows like HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and “Boardwalk Empire,”.... These days, when Mr. Obama retreats to the White House residence after a long day on the other end of the colonnade, he is working his way through the DVD box set of AMC’s “Breaking Bad,”....Friends say Mr. Obama is also keenly awaiting the new season of the Netflix show “House of Cards,”....Mr. Obama is also a devotee of Showtime’s “Homeland,”.... He has raved about “Boardwalk Empire” and ITV’s “Downton Abbey,”....And he has worked his way through the DVDs of AMC’s smoldering “Mad Men” series....

It is true that Mr. Obama has his own TV distractions that do not involve serious subjects. He is a rabid sports fan, and friends and colleagues say he enjoys ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” He also once told TV Guide that he and his family watch ABC’s “Modern Family” and NBC’s “Parks and Recreation”

I've seen less than half of those, but I've never been under the delusion that I live a life of intellectual rigor equivalent to Mr Obama.

chuck said...

"Still, Mr. Trump, who does not read books,..."

Just can't help themselves, can they? That isn't exactly fake news, but it is definitely on the BS end of the scale. It's the NYTimes, of course, the world's finest junk news.

tcrosse said...

He phoned Schumer to ask if his refrigerator was running.

Matt Sablan said...

Eh, Bush reading more books didn't earn him any love as an intellectual, so even if Trump DID read, and read more than journalists, I doubt they'd give him credit for it.

Seeing Red said...

Yay, he can learn things Like Barry did!

Bay Area Guy said...

Still, Mr. Trump, who does not read books, is able to end his evenings with plenty of television.

heh - the NYT can't help itself. If there is an opening for a gratuitous slap against an "other" like the Donald, they don't hesitate.

[Does not read books. Does not read books. Does not read books. The philistine bastard doesn't even read books, can you believe it!]

Anonymous said...

He just signs all those Executive Orders they put in front of him. I hope his advisors explain to him what they are in 7th grade language, so he understands.

Bay Area Guy said...

Chuck beat me to it!

Curious George said...

"Mark said...
Hope people like paying taxes to build his wall, suckers."

He just stopped Obama's parting gift to the murderous Palestinian Authority, so there's the down payment. We'll see where things go from there.

Seeing Red said...

I thought he was explaining some of those Orders to us!

Lydia said...

Still, Mr. Trump, who does not read books...

A Trump tweet's gotta be coming on that. See this from January 18: Donald Trump BOMBSHELL Interview: 'I Like Reading Books'

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"He just signs all those Executive Orders they put in front of him. I hope his advisors explain to him what they are in 7th grade language, so he understands."

I don't care if they're in Pushtu as long as statist creeps are getting their asses handed to them. Which apparently they are. More pink hats!

mccullough said...

Does he play video games?

Michael K said...

"Hope people like paying taxes to build his wall, suckers."

Yeah, those Mexican tax payers are going to love it.

" I hope his advisors explain to him what they are in 7th grade language, so he understands."

You, on the other hand, made your billion reading science journals, right ?

The left just can't help it.

mccullough said...

Phones and pens and televisions. The three things that every president needs.

Michael said...

"Although he made his name building extravagant, gold-gilded properties..."

Is there another kind of gilding at the New York Times?

Seeing Red said...

Congress did approve the $221 mil, but it was put on hold.

Mehhhh, they can get it from Europe.

Seeing Red said...

Heide: Gruber Gruber Gruber!

Wince said...

Still, Mr. Trump, who does not read books, is able to end his evenings with plenty of television.

I'm surprised they left out the sweatpants, ball scratching and finger sniffing.

Paddy O said...

Hi, Mr. President!

Matt Sablan said...

"Sometimes he hits the snooze button!"

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Does not read books? What does that even mean? Like, ever? How could they make a claim like that?

At any rate, few people read books anyway. I'd love to see what's on the bedside table of my sneering leftist smarter-than-everyone-else friends. Smartphones, is the answer. I don't think any of them has read anything longer than an Occupy Democrats article in years.

I shouldn't talk; I'm currently reading Books of Blood by Clive Barker. Hey, at least it's a book! And it's pretty damn well written.

Nice post, bgates. Snort!

tcrosse said...

" I hope his advisors explain to him what they are in 7th grade language, so he understands."
Well, they did explain the Electoral College to him in terms he understood. Hillary's advisors were not that astute.

Scott M said...

Didn't Obama dislike the telephones when he got there? Something him expecting super-high-tech and was all "meh" when he saw them.

Drago said...

Mark: "Hope people like paying taxes to build his wall, suckers."

Yes, a lefty who supported obambi's Trillion dollar fake "shovel ready projects" bill actually wrote that.

Without irony and apparently without any self-awareness.

BTW, is anyone else finding it amusing that the dems on tv are in high dudgeon over 10 to 20 Billion for a wall after 8 years where the debt increased by $10Trillion?

The left's choo-choo to no-where in California is currently estimated to cost $64B instead of it's original estimate of $40B.

But yeah, lets all panic over a $20B wall.

#ThisIsHowYouGetMoreTrump

dwick said...

While you're "noting", note Reagan watched a lot of TV and yet was still able to end the Carter 'malaise', get tax reform passed, turn the US economy around, and end the Cold War.

"All in all, not bad. Not bad at all."

Seeing Red said...

It's wasn't just Hillary's advisors.

It's the economy, stupid.

buwaya said...

"He phoned Schumer to ask if his refrigerator was running."

I thought the NSA could just tell him if Schumers refrigerator was running.

buwaya said...

"At any rate, few people read books anyway. I'd love to see what's on the bedside table of my sneering leftist smarter-than-everyone-else friends. "

True. In my experience, very few have read much outside their profession, if they have professional credentials, and those in the liberal arts extremely narrowly. The big holes are usually history, military affairs, the classics and economics/business. They will often try to fit an alien subject within their frame of reference, very oddly sometimes.

buwaya said...

"He phoned Schumer to ask if his refrigerator was running."

I thought the NSA could just tell him if Schumers refrigerator was running.

Matt Sablan said...

This year I read "Moving Mars," "I Was Amelia Earhart" and am midway through "What Einstein Told His Cook." Once I finish that, being at three books for the year, I will be ahead of something like 60%+ of Americans. Not reading books is not necessarily a sign of lacking intelligence, because there are a lot of people way smarter than I am.

Kathryn51 said...

In between, Mr. Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office and has meetings in the West Wing.

Okay, I didn't read the article (just not inclined to give the NYT any clicks once I get beyond my 10), but did they give any indication when his day ends?? Popular myth is that Trump gets by on 4 hours of sleep a night. Even if he doesn't read books, does this mean he's not reading briefing papers? And I sure don't get snark implication that "in between" all of the TV watching, he manages to squeeze in a few meetings and exec orders.

tcrosse said...

He called Schumer to ask for Dick Hertz.

Bay Area Guy said...

@EDH,

Still, Mr. Trump, who does not read books, is able to end his evenings with plenty of television.

I'm surprised they left out the sweatpants, ball scratching and finger sniffing.

1/25/17, 3:08 PM

__________________________________________________

Correction: We previously reported that Mr. Trump watches television at night, rather than reading books. That is incomplete. Mr. Trump watches television at night in sweat pants, while scratching his balls. More so, he only watches Duck Dynasty. We regret the omissions.

Dave D said...

"Still, Mr. Trump, who does not read books, is able to end his evenings with plenty of television....."

...and still gets more done in a standard day than any previous President. (I'm betting). DJT is VERY used to allocating his time efficiently and actually, you know, getting things done.

tcrosse said...

He called up Dominos to have 20 pizzas delivered to Schumer's house.

Matt Sablan said...

"He called up Dominos to have 20 pizzas delivered to Schumer's house."

The biggest sin: They were pineapple and anchovies.

Achilles said...

I listen to the books I read. Lately though I have been reading coding docs. Nobody reads books much anymore.

I am 1000% positive that Trump is busier than the idiot who wrote that article and the leftist trolls making comments. I will also guarantee Trump is much smarter than HeideC.

AllenS said...

The only time I open a book is to find out torque specifications of the motor that I'm working on.

Some people judge a book by it's cover. Not me, I want to know how many pictures and illustrations are in it. You can't beat a book that has an electrical wiring system illustration in it.

n.n said...

Bay Area Guy:

While munching Cheetos? Does the President like Cheetos?!

Does he drink coffee or tea? Soda? Wassail? Wassail???

Does the President go a-wassailing? While munching Cheetos?

Tis the season.

I bet he would wear Pajama SquarePants if it was socially acceptable. H/T Costanza

Captain Drano said...

"Blogger tcrosse said...
He phoned Schumer to ask if his refrigerator was running."

Thanks, I needed that laugh!

Are W said...

So... he's admiring the telephone...
I see hundreds admire their phone every day. Must be some sort of vile addiction.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Mark: Hope people like paying taxes to build his wall, suckers.

You already paid, sucker. The funds have been allocated since 2006 but a certain chief executive didn't allow the completion of the project. This isn't a new issue that Trump invented. It's something a bipartisan majority of all Americans were in favor of for a long time. Only Washington insiders and people who want to "fundamentally transform" America are against taking control of our border. It's already the law!

rhhardin said...

I have Imus on 6-9am but do work. A laugh is the key to listen for a moment. Mostly there aren't laughs.

Maybe Trump has the same deal.

Michael K said...

Maybe if Heide is near Tucson, she could come over and help me unpack the 40 boxes of books in my garage I haven't gotten to yet.

Lefties just crack me up when they play smarts games. How about the NY Times crossword?

MayBee said...

I thought Trump watched Morning Joe?

Bad Lieutenant said...


Blogger Mark said...
Hope people like paying taxes to build his wall, suckers.
1/25/17, 2:40 PM

What I really love is him making YOU pay taxes to build MY wall!

Ha Ha! Mwahahahaha!

AAAAAAaaaahahahahhahaha!!!!!

Imagine what you'll be paying for next!

At this rate I could get with some tax hikes! And MAYBE Trump is clever enough to tax ONLY YOU!!!!

TFW you don't run the Big Government you fostered anymore! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
😠😯😬😢😥😦😧😨😱😒😶😵 <--poor Mark

Bitchez!!!

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Gee, just imagine what Trump could have accomplished in his first few days on the job if he hadn't been watching all that TV.

MayBee said...

I've seen less than half of those, but I've never been under the delusion that I live a life of intellectual rigor equivalent to Mr Obama.

ha!

Fernandinande said...

I think Trump is building a genocidal neo-Nazi regime with speeches that bewitch audiences:

Donald Trump's ex-wife once said Trump kept a book of Hitler's speeches by his bed

If you can't trust an ex-wife, who can you trust? The NYT?

Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Etienne said...

"...explode in the air.”

Like thought balloons...

Comanche Voter said...

Some things never seem to change. Obama watched a lot of TV; Trump watches a lot of TV.
Trump doesn't read books---and, if Obama watched a lot of TV, Obama didn't read books.

Drago said...

exiledonmainstreet: "Gee, just imagine what Trump could have accomplished in his first few days on the job if he hadn't been watching all that TV"

Nicely Reaganesque!

Reagan delivering the Commencement at Eureka College: "Oh, you'll have some regrets along with the happy memories. I let football and other extracurricular activities eat into my study time with the result that my grade average was closer to the C level required for eligibility than it was to straight A's. And even now I wonder what I might have accomplished if I'd studied harder."

https://reaganlibrary.archives.gov/archives/speeches/1982/50982a.htm


exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

I am a Luddite when it comes to books. I can't warm up to Kindle. I pick up lots of books at estate sales and where to put them all is becoming a serious problem. I'm in the middle of "Washington's Crossing" by David Hackett Fischer, who has become my favorite living American historian. His books about colonial and Revolutionary era America are wonderful and one of them, "Albion's Seed" is useful for understanding our political divisions even today.

Books have added richness to my life, but I know a lot of very smart people who don't read that much.

Fernandinande said...

Comanche Voter said...
Some things never seem to change. Obama watched a lot of TV; Trump watches a lot of TV.
Trump doesn't read books---and, if Obama watched a lot of TV, Obama didn't read books.


In Soviet Russia, books don't read you.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I'm glad he reads The Washington Compost. Heh. Inspiration.

tim in vermont said...

I don't believe a word they write about him, so...

tim in vermont said...

Remember when he used to read books? All by NAZIs of course.

tcrosse said...

I think Trump is building a genocidal neo-Nazi regime with speeches that bewitch audiences:
Not so. Trump's inspiration is not Adolf Hitler. It's Vince, the ShamWow guy.

I kid, ladies and gentlemen, but I kid with love.

Jim at said...

"Hope people like paying taxes to build his wall."

I will. It's about time some of our tax dollars actually go to things that, you know, work in our best interests?

MayBee said...

Where can I find the big media celebrations about our Indian American Female US UN Rep?

Balfegor said...

One of the things that is kind of novel about Trump's voracious appetite for watching TV is that he clearly spends a lot of time watching people criticise him on TV (as also evidenced by his bottomless appetite for picking petty fights on twitter). That strikes me as a marked contrast from, at least, Bush II and Obama, both of whom seem to have insulated themselves from exposure to critical media, probably because -- like normal people -- they found it emotionally taxing to listen to people criticise them all day.

Trump, though, he seems to love it. He is simultaneously incredibly thin-skinned, in the sense that he responds to literally everything, and incredibly thick-skinned, in that he doesn't seem to retreat or shy away from criticism at all.

MayBee said...

Balfegor- interesting observation.

Yes, we keep hearing about how presidents put themselves in a bubble of yes men. Not so, Trump.

rcocean said...

I've had a lot of experience with Corporate Executives. They aren't "Book readers" - they're too busy trying to do their jobs and enjoy their lives.

BTW, most Presidents weren't - and aren't. FDR Liked to read trashy detective stories and books on the Navy. Ike read Westerns. JFK wasn't a "book reader" either, despite all the propaganda. As for LBJ - no books.

Bush II was a book reader, so was Harry Truman and TR.

eric said...

Does Mark really think I'll be upset if I have to pay for a border wall?

Really?

Too funny.

rcocean said...

I'm trying to think of what Books you would read AS PRESIDENT that would help you and I can't think of any.

What a minute, Leaves of Grass helped Bill Clinton get a Lewinsky, so there's that.

rcocean said...

A lot of great literature makes you a more rounded person - but be a better POTUS - I don't think so.

No great literature - might as well watch TV.

Nonfiction? Depends on the book.

M Jordan said...

You know who else didn't read books, mocked the idea in fact? Steve Jobs. He was a genius, liberals tell me. Trump is a dunce they also tell me.

Here's another factoid: Obama read zero books during his eight years in the White House. I assuming, that is, since he never referred to one once. But he too is a genius and Trump a dunce.

Liberals: where lying and hypocrisy are badges of honor ... as long as your lying and being a hypocrite for the Virtuous Tribe.

exhelodrvr1 said...

And they take the bait again ...

exhelodrvr1 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
buwaya said...

"Ike read Westerns."

Zane Grey
Could have done a lot worse.

chuck said...

> I think Trump is building a genocidal neo-Nazi regime with speeches that bewitch audiences:

Why Trump is not Hitler:

1) Trump is a mediocre speaker
2) Trump is happy
3) Trump has a family
4) Trump doesn't hate anyone
5) Trump isn't an artist
6) Trump doesn't read a lot
7) Trump isn't an intellectual
8) Trump doesn't want to refight WWI
9) Trump doesn't want to settle the Ukraine
10) Trump has two balls

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

chuck, in terms of bad hair, though, I think it's a draw.

Michael K said...

I'm trying to think of what Books you would read AS PRESIDENT that would help you and I can't think of any.


I've read quite a few books on presidents, some on recent presidents. What all say is that the books that educate you as president, you read years ago. In office, you are so busy that there is no time for reading other than for relaxation. Jack Kennedy read Ian Fleming spy novels and made them famous. Eisenhower read westerns. The political left will try to diminish Trump any way they can and many of them are ignoramuses, as even Obama staffer Ben Rhodes said. He said they knew nothing and were gullible enough that he lied to them.

This is all disinformation by Trump's enemies and even a few silly lefties in this blog comments.

Sebastian said...

"chuck, in terms of bad hair, though, I think it's a draw" Mustache breaks the tie.

Sebastian said...

"you are so busy that there is no time for reading other than for relaxation" W did read serious stuff but perhaps he found it relaxing. Not that it did him any good, as others noted upthread. Nor did he make a big deal of it, gentleman that he was. Which I admired about him as a person, but thought then and think now was a political mistake. In politics you gotta fight. With the left going crazy 24/7, you'd better be ready for a long march. Trump is. I'll take it.

wildswan said...

Trump wrote a book, The Art of the Deal, and perhaps we could learn more from it than from the NYT.

Amazon blurb:

"Beginning with a week in Trump's high-stakes life, Trump: The Art of the Deal gives us Trump in action. We see just how he operates day to day-how he runs his business and how he runs his life-as he chats with friends and family, clashes with enemies, efficiently buys up Atlantic City's top casinos, changes the face of the New York City skyline . . . and plans the tallest building in the world. TRUMP ON TRUMP: "I play it very loose. I don't carry a briefcase. I try not to schedule too many meetings. I leave my door open. . . . I prefer to come to work each day and just see what develops." Even a maverick plays by rules, and here Trump formulates his own eleven guidelines for success. He isolates the common elements in his greatest deals; he shatters myths ("You don't necessarily need the best location. What you need is the best deal"); he names names, spells out the zeros, and fully reveals the deal-maker's art: from the abandoned property that became the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center to the seedy hotel that became the Grand Hyatt; from the race to rebuild Central Park's Wollman Skating Rink to the byzantine saga of the property that became Trump Tower. And throughout, Trump talks-really talks-about how he does it. TRUMP ON TRUMP: "I always go into a deal anticipating the worst. If you plan for the worst-if you can live with the worst-the good will always take care of itself." Donald Trump is blunt, brash, surprisingly old-fashioned in spots-and always, always an original. Trump: The Art of the Deal is an unguarded look at the mind of a brilliant entrepreneur and an unprecedented education in the art of the deal. It's the most streetwise business book there is-and a sizzling read for anyone interested in money and success.

wildswan said...

Trump wrote a book, The Art of the Deal, and perhaps we could learn more from it than from the NYT.

Amazon blurb:

"Beginning with a week in Trump's high-stakes life, Trump: The Art of the Deal gives us Trump in action. We see just how he operates day to day-how he runs his business and how he runs his life-as he chats with friends and family, clashes with enemies, efficiently buys up Atlantic City's top casinos, changes the face of the New York City skyline . . . and plans the tallest building in the world. TRUMP ON TRUMP: "I play it very loose. I don't carry a briefcase. I try not to schedule too many meetings. I leave my door open. . . . I prefer to come to work each day and just see what develops." Even a maverick plays by rules, and here Trump formulates his own eleven guidelines for success. He isolates the common elements in his greatest deals; he shatters myths ("You don't necessarily need the best location. What you need is the best deal"); he names names, spells out the zeros, and fully reveals the deal-maker's art: from the abandoned property that became the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center to the seedy hotel that became the Grand Hyatt; from the race to rebuild Central Park's Wollman Skating Rink to the byzantine saga of the property that became Trump Tower. And throughout, Trump talks-really talks-about how he does it. TRUMP ON TRUMP: "I always go into a deal anticipating the worst. If you plan for the worst-if you can live with the worst-the good will always take care of itself." Donald Trump is blunt, brash, surprisingly old-fashioned in spots-and always, always an original. Trump: The Art of the Deal is an unguarded look at the mind of a brilliant entrepreneur and an unprecedented education in the art of the deal. It's the most streetwise business book there is-and a sizzling read for anyone interested in money and success.

tim in vermont said...

More than happy to pay taxes for a border wall. The rest is just flushed away anyway to line the pockets of the connected.

Gretchen said...

He sure gets a lot of stuff done, interviews a lot of people, and writes a lot of executive orders, and attended a lot of rallies during the election season for someone who watches so much TV. I have a feeling he will never tell us, unlike his predecessor that he found out about major news events via the news.

I could care less if he's reading a lot of books now. Of course the NYT will act like he is a complete moron, it is their go-to play book move for Republicans, Reagan and Bush supposedly never read either. The smug NYT faithful will lap it up.

rcocean said...

The political left will try to diminish Trump any way they can and many of them are ignoramuses, as even Obama staffer Ben Rhodes said.

Yeah. Plus, George Bush got ZERO credit for being well read. To the Left/MSM he was "ignorant" no matter what the facts. We now know that Reagan was extremely well read on Economics but while POTUS he was just a "Hollywood actor".

Michael K said...

" The smug NYT faithful will lap it up."

Years ago, I used to read the NY Review of Books. One time, I looked at the personals on the back page.

It had a whole bunch of personal adds from women looking for men (It was a few years ago).

Most of them said "No Republicans ."

It was a window into NYC females without men.

cacimbo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
cacimbo said...

In 2011 media was touting Trump as a great reader.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/05/donald-trump-i-understand-the-chinese-mind.html

William said...

Eisenhower read a monstrous amount of reports. The Zane Grey novels were a way of relaxing. Liberals thought Adlai Stevenson was far brighter than Eisenhower because Stevenson read better books and could talk in a witty way......Towards the end of his life, Stevenson admitted that Eisenhower was the better choice for president. Stevenson was not smarter than Eisenhower, but he was far brighter than his followers........I was an English major and always enjoyed reading. In later life, my tastes have changed from fiction to history. There's a lot that happened in history that will never make it into movies or novels. Can anyone name a movie or fictional character who died of malnutrition on a collective farm. I think collective farms killed more people than WWI, but you could read a thousand novels and never once encounter the subject. So far as I know, there were no great 19th century novelists--besides Twain and Stowe--who took on the subject of chattel slavery.

traditionalguy said...

Reading is a slow thing to DJT. But he absorbs people's personalities in person and on TV Cable show interviews.


DJT seems to be a high functioning Autistic whose father fortunately got him into a Military Boarding School's structure where he learned to accept orders and a leadership role among the men that he easily understood after a few minutes interaction with them.

There is a line in the new film, "The Accountant" that pertains to Trump's persona. The Character has a Scott Adams like Military Psyops father who tells him that he is different from others, and that once people see that in him it will scare them which will lead them to attacking him. So he is trained to fight back and win.

Unknown said...

Why is Trump still using his unsecured phone? The very thing he demonized Clinton for.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/01/donald-trump-is-still-using-his-unsecured-android-phone.html

"Donald Trump Is Still Using His Unsecured Personal Cell Phone"

"... when Trump threatened to send federal troops to occupy Chicago Tuesday night, many Twitter users noticed something alarming.

Could it be that the leader of the free world was dispensing 140-character policy responses to whatever he just saw on Fox News — from an unsecured device?!

On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that this was, in fact, the case:

Mr. Trump’s wife, Melania, went back to New York on Sunday night with their 10-year-old son, Barron, and so Mr. Trump has the television — and his old, unsecured Android phone, to the protests of some of his aides — to keep him company.
Single-issue “IT-management voters” must be inconsolable."




Unknown said...

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/316099-trump-still-uses-unsecured-android-phone

"President Trump still uses his unsecured Android phone, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

The decision to keep using the old phone was protested by some of his aides, according to the publication.

Before the president's inauguration, The Associated Press reported that Trump had given up his personal cellphone.

He had apparently told a friend before he was sworn in that he had given up the phone at the advice of security agencies.
Trump is known for tweeting personally from his device, an Android smartphone, often posting announcements or attacking his rivals."

Krumhorn said...

The guy has been impressing the hell out of me.

- Krumhorn

Unknown said...

The hypocrisy reeks.

http://www.recode.net/2017/1/25/14388902/president-trump-still-using-android-phone

"When President Trump tweeted about crime in Chicago last night, he apparently did so from his old Android phone, much to the dismay of his aides.

A New York Times story says Trump didn’t actually turn off his personal smartphone ahead of the inauguration, as previous reports said he would and as aides have been pushing him to do.

Trump’s decision to continue using a smartphone that’s connected to the internet poses a serious national security risk, as we’ve written before. President Obama also wanted to keep using a smartphone, but when he assumed office, he traded in his BlackBerry for a secure, encrypted device that had most smartphone features turned off and could only communicate with a preselected group of aides who also had secure devices.

Here’s what the experts have to say about why using a standard cellphone is such a bad idea:

A hacker could use keylogging software to see what Trump is typing before the tweet sends. That head start could be used to influence the stock market or exploited for political ends.
Trump’s phone should not be connected to the internet anyway, since everything connected to the internet is vulnerable to attack.
A commercial-grade phone should never be taken into high-level meetings. There are exploits that can power on its microphone to listen in.


If Trump is using his phone for work in any way, the classified data networks he needs to access as president should not be connected to the phone, especially if that phone is one anyone can purchase off the shelf.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MaxedOutMama said...

I am howling about the smartphone tweeting issue. There is no possible security issue with using an insecure phone to tweet to the public. By definition, tweets are public communications. This is akin to complaining that he uses a non-secure phone for a TV interview. It's public!!

It's just that Trump can't use that phone for any non-public stuff, and the comment about the internal phone system implies that he is using a secure system for those communications.

If Trump wants to continue to tweet, he will be using some non-secure device to do so. That is not an issue.

Unknown said...

Maxed Out Mama, you don't know what you're talking about.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/technology/donald-trump-phone-social-media-security.html

"“The absolutely minimum Trump could do to protect our nation is to use a secure device to protect him from foreign spies and other threats,” said Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon on the Intelligence Committee. “It would be irresponsible in the extreme for the commander in chief to use an unsecure device that could be easily hacked or intercepted.”

Among the concerns by security experts:

■ It is unclear if the device and its functions like texting are encrypted to thwart hacking.

■ The device could be more vulnerable to hacking if used on unsecured Wi-Fi and cellular networks, such as when Mr. Trump travels between meetings or anywhere outside the White House.

■ Hackers could access the device to turn on the camera and microphone.

■ Stingray devices, a type of surveillance tool often used by law enforcement, can track a device’s location and other information."


Achilles said...

Blogger Karen said...
"The hypocrisy reeks. "

Says a Hillary supporter. No irony here.

Please keep humiliating yourselves. We enjoy the wailing and gnashing of teeth. After we enact voter fraud laws we will never need to take you seriously again.

Achilles said...

Blogger Karen said...
"Maxed Out Mama, you don't know what you're talking about."

I have used "stingray devices." You don't know what you are talking about. If someone uses a tower emulator within a mile of Trump it would be extraordinarily easy to notice and almost as easy to find.

John henry said...

Blogger Michael K said...

Maybe if Heide is near Tucson, she could come over and help me unpack the 40 boxes of books in my garage I haven't gotten to yet.


Been waiting for a month to use this line:

Michael K you magnificent bastard! I read your book!

Just wish your history of disease was available on Kindle. That sounds even more interesting. I can't read paper books any more. Kindle has completely spoiled me.

John Henry

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

He's using the phone to tweet. Exactly what national security information might be compromised? Don't be thick. The commenters here will shred Golden Shower-style hysterics in nothing flat.

BN said...

We pretend not to know it, but it's true.

So let it be written: Television is the Anti-Christ.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

"We now know that Reagan was extremely well read on Economics but while POTUS he was just a "Hollywood actor".

And if you've read Reagan's letters, you know he was far more eloquent and thoughtful than he was ever given credit for.

tim in vermont said...

Hillary had a secure Blackberry! JK,LOL I could name more threats, and have, but you guys didn't care because you were defending Hillary.

If he only uses it to Tweet,it's fine

tim in vermont said...

Unless we don't want the Russians reading his Twitter feed!

Danno said...

Mark said...Hope people like paying taxes to build his wall, suckers.

It is as simple as collecting a withholding tax on any money sent to Mexico, via money orders or checks, and confiscating any cash sent in the mail. This has not been a big secret. I hope you get it now.

Danno said...

Bay Area Guy said...Still, Mr. Trump, who does not read books, is able to end his evenings with plenty of television. heh - the NYT can't help itself. If there is an opening for a gratuitous slap against an "other" like the Donald, they don't hesitate. [Does not read books. Does not read books. Does not read books. The philistine bastard doesn't even read books, can you believe it!]

Maybe someone should invite him to come learn at Althouse!

BJM said...

Trump doesn't read, Bush didn't read, Reagan didn't read...yada, yada e mas yada.

I didn't see an attribution to sources re the smartphone...only that "it appeared that Trump was responding to Bill O'Reilly". Jeebus.

The NYT: "Omnia falsa potest nouo Print"

gadfly said...

Still, Mr. Trump, who does not read books, is able to end his evenings with plenty of television.
He is particularly obsessed with TV.

Trump flicks on the TV and watches "Morning Joe," often for long periods of time, sometimes interrupted with texts to the hosts or panelists. After the 6 a.m. hour of "Joe," he's often on to "Fox & Friends" by 7 a.m., with a little CNN before or after. He also catches the Sunday shows, especially "Meet the Press." "The shows," as he calls them, often provoke his tweets.

Trump has been hooked on coverage, especially of himself, since the glory days of the New York tabloids, when he would happily leak details about his affairs and business deals. He can't quit it. So the notion he will surrender the remote, or Twitter, or his grievances with reporters is pure fantasy. Aides talk of giving him "better choices" or jamming his schedule with meetings to keep him away from reading about or watching himself on TV. But this is an addiction he will never kick.

gadfly said...

@BJM said...
Trump doesn't read, Bush didn't read, Reagan didn't read...yada, yada e mas yada.

Ah, but Dubya and Dutch did read (yada, yada, yada, my ass). Between 2006 and 2008, Bush read 186 books, mainly history and biography. An admitted fan of Louis L’Amour Westerns, Reagan put Tom Clancy on the best seller lists for all time by praising "The Hunt For Red October," and he preferred non-fiction written by conservatives.

chuck said...

Karen has made an appearance to clue us in to the big coordinated story in the bubble. Thanks Karen, but we heathens are not so easily converted by extensive quotation, that approach was already old fifteen years ago. I suggest you work up some original material.