A journalistic report has revealed that U.S. President Donald Trump's personal phone number has become a commodity traded among some intermediaries and influential figures in informal deals aimed at gaining direct access to the President. According to a report by The Atlantic magazine, Trump's phone number has become the center of informal trading and selling between journalists, officials, and business figures attempting to secure an opportunity for direct communication with the President. The report, citing U.S. administration officials, stated that Trump's personal number has become the subject of «bargaining and black market sales» among influential brokers. The report also indicated that the number has been offered for sale to wealthy entities seeking to influence or gain direct access to the President. According to a White House official, Trump receives a large number of calls from journalists daily, to the extent that the phone might receive about 10 calls in just two hours. One official said: «These are continuous calls from journalists, it happens very quickly». The report added that White House officials have sometimes had to search online for the names of journalists calling the number to verify their identities. At the beginning of Trump's second term, his personal phone number was only known to a small circle of friends and some journalists, but after about 14 months into his new term, the number became circulated among a larger number of journalists, business people, and even some cryptocurrency sector investors. During his first term, Trump used two iPhones, one for posting on social media and the other exclusively for calls. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly stated that the President maintains a high degree of transparency and accessibility to the media. She added: «President Trump is the most transparent and accessible in history, and the media never tire of communicating with him». Nevertheless, observers note that the trading of a head of state's phone number in this manner may raise security and regulatory questions regarding the management of direct communications with the highest office in the United States.
