President Trump denies phone use that reportedly allows for China, Russia spying
SAN JOSE — In a couple of tweets Thursday from an iPhone, President Donald Trump pushed back on a story that his use of unsecured iPhones allow China and Russia to listen in on his phone calls.
The president has two NSA-altered iPhones that are limited in capability for national security reasons, but insists on using his personal iPhone because it has his contacts stored in it, The New York Times reported Wednesday, citing current and former officials. The newspaper also noted that Trump likes to use mobile phones to avoid having his calls logged when they go through the White House switchboard, thus allowing his senior aides to see them.
“The so-called experts on Trump over at the New York Times wrote a long and boring article on my cellphone usage that is so incorrect I do not have time here to correct it,” Trump tweeted Thursday morning.
About three hours later, Trump tweeted pretty much the same thing, adding: “I rarely use a cellphone, & when I do it’s government authorized. I like Hard Lines. Just more made up Fake News!”
By eavesdropping on Trump’s phone calls, China has determined the people it should try to influence as the two nations engage in a trade war, according to The Times, which noted that all cellphone calls are vulnerable as they travel through networks. The newspaper also cited an unnamed official who said Russia’s spying on the president’s phone calls is not as sophisticated because that nation believes Trump has an affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
An Apple spokesman said the company would have no comment Thursday.
Trump made a big deal about national security during his presidential campaign. He routinely attacked his opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, over her use of a personal email server. Cries of “lock her up” persist at the president’s rallies to this day.
Trump reportedly switched from an Android phone to government-issued iPhones when he became president. His use of phones has frustrated his aides — he likes talking on the phone, doesn’t use email and reportedly has an iPhone just for tweeting — although The Times report said unnamed administration officials weren’t too worried he’d spill U.S. secrets “because he rarely digs into the details of the intelligence he is shown and is not well versed in the operational specifics of military or covert activities.”