Trump’s personal number gets 'horse traded': Leavitt spills on the president's off-camera world

WASHINGTON,DC: Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says there is a side of President Donald Trump that rarely comes across during tense exchanges in the briefing room.

In a Tuesday, September 22 appearance on Sean Hannity’s podcast, Leavitt described Trump answering reporters’ calls himself, chatting with whoever gets through and maintaining one-on-one interactions that she says are markedly different from what happens in front of the cameras.

She also offered her take on Trump as a boss and his relationships with women staffers.

Karoline says Trump's number 'isn't sacred'

Leavitt’s story about Trump’s phone started with a simple question from Hannity: how many members of the media have the president’s personal number?

“Literally everybody,” she said. When Hannity asked how reporters get hold of it, Leavitt had an equally blunt answer.

“They horse trade it with one another,” she said.

Hannity laughed and then revealed he had Trump’s number too.

Leavitt said the circulation of the number had reached a point where she had warned Trump that it was getting out of hand.

She recalled telling him that even bloggers and journalists from international outlets were calling him.

Trump, according to Leavitt, did not seem particularly concerned about how the calls were getting through. She said he would simply answer.

“He just picks up,” Leavitt said, describing Trump answering the phone and then chatting with whoever was calling.

“He shoots the breeze with whoever calls,” she added. 

Leavitt reveals Trump's softer side

Leavitt added that Trump treats people differently when they meet him one-on-one.

“He treats everyone with kindness when he’s one-on-one,” she said.

Leavitt claimed that some members of the press have privately told her they find Trump warm and personable, even if they would not make the same comments publicly.

She also offered her explanation for why the atmosphere can change once reporters enter the briefing room.

“There’s a performative aspect to the briefing room,” she said, arguing that the dynamic applies to both sides but particularly to the press.

Leavitt said she has had reporters apologize to her after asking questions they said their editors or executives had insisted they raise.

She recalled journalists telling her they knew a question was unfair but felt pressure from their employers to ask it.

She said the White House was not looking for flattering coverage, but rather “fairness, truth, accuracy.”

Karoline Leavitt calls President 'great boss'

Leavitt also used the interview to describe her own experience working for Trump.

“He is a great boss,” she said, describing him as complimentary and encouraging toward members of his team.

She said Trump enjoys watching people succeed and giving them opportunities to move into new roles.

Leavitt then pointed to several women who have worked in senior positions around Trump, including herself, Susie Wiles and Sarah Sanders.

“Sometimes I think he might listen to women a little bit more than men,” she said, adding that she believes he has “such respect” for women.