Outside the Beltway

Outside the Beltway

Donald Trump Gives Out Lindsey Graham’s Cell Phone Number

Doug Mataconis
25

Donald Trump Hair

The daily bizarre circus that is the Donald Trump Presidential campaign made its way to Blufton, South Carolina today for a speech in which Trump did something that can only be described as bizarre:

If Lindsey Graham has to change cellphone numbers, he has Donald Trump to thank.

On Tuesday, Trump ramped up his attacks on the South Carolina senator — who made headlines Monday for calling the Donald a “jackass” — and even gave out Graham’s private phone number.

Trump began his rambling diatribe by calling Graham a “lightweight” and an “idiot.”

“He doesn’t seem like a very bright guy. He actually probably seems to me not as bright as Rick Perry. I think Rick Perry probably is smarter than Lindsey Graham,” Trump added, riffing on prior insults he had lobbed at the former Texas governor.

Then Trump transitioned to an embarrassing anecdote, which the billionaire real estate developer said was from a few years ago, in which Graham called Trump “begging” him for a good reference with Trump’s pals on the Fox News morning program “Fox & Friends.”

Trump said that he promised Graham he would put out a good word, and the South Carolina Republican then gave him his phone number to follow up.

Trump then read out what he said was Graham’s phone number, telling his supporters to “try it.”

“I wonder what caused that,” Graham told a POLITICO reporter who dialed the number, about the influx of calls.

“When it comes to the Donald, nothing surprises me anymore,” he said. “It’s just too bad, really,” he said, adding that Trump is taking away from a discussion on the Iran deal and more substantive policy issues.

CBS News Producer DJ Judd confirmed that the number Trump gave out was in fact Graham’s:

Yes, that’s right. He gave out the private cell phone number of a sitting United States Senator live on national television. I’m really beginning to think that this may all be a massive piece of performance art we’re seeing here. In fact, this theory is sounding more and more plausible all the time.

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25 responses to “Donald Trump Gives Out Lindsey Graham’s Cell Phone Number”

  1. michael reynolds Avatar
    michael reynolds

    I see you brought back the ludicrous hair shot of Trump.

    Any objections? Didn’t think so.

    Best political show ever.

  2. CSK Avatar
    CSK

    Well, those of us who thought that Sarah Palin’s 2011 summer bus tout was the apex of political buffoonery must think again.

  3. Mu Avatar
    Mu

    If Trump isn’t careful he’ll be dragged in front of the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee soon.

  4. DrDaveT Avatar
    DrDaveT

    I’m really beginning to think that this may all be a massive piece of performance art we’re seeing here.

    To be performance art, doesn’t it have to be deliberate? I don’t think The Don does meta. I think reality turns out to be more entertaining than Reality TV. At least for a few weeks.

  5. Lit3Bolt Avatar
    Lit3Bolt

    Marge, change the channel!!

  6. Pete S Avatar
    Pete S

    “When it comes to the Donald, nothing surprises me anymore,” he said. “It’s just too bad, really,” he said, adding that Trump is taking away from a discussion on the Iran deal and more substantive policy issues.

    Actually, this may be the best thing Trump is doing for the Republican Party. All the attention on him this weekend is taking focus away from the idiotic competition the candidates are having to see who can start a war with Iran faster.

  7. TheoNott Avatar
    TheoNott

    Geez… that seems awfully threatening, no? That’s like reading out some public figure’s home address.

  8. stonetools Avatar
    stonetools

    Man, does this guy have ANY boundaries? And if so, where are they? Somehow, I think we are going to find out.

  9. James Pearce Avatar
    James Pearce

    If you work at Gawker, you’re probably going to get fired for doxxing people. We’re going to give this guy the keys to our national security apparatus? Yeah, right.

  10. C. Clavin Avatar
    C. Clavin

    Sorry…this is not an act.
    This is today’s Republican party…born of the right wing entertainment complex.
    When JEB! seems like the moderate in the room…you’ve got serious problems.

  11. Facebones Avatar
    Facebones

    Every article about Trump is column space taken away from Washington media to write about “Democrats in disarray” and try and create a mythical horse race between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.

    I hope Trump stays in it until the conventions.

  12. Neil Hudelson Avatar
    Neil Hudelson

    @CSK:

    I can’t wait to see what 2020 brings us. Just think, somewhere in America there is a politician–sitting or future–who sees Trump on the screen and says to himself “I can do this even better.”

  13. Gustopher Avatar
    Gustopher

    I think I like this new, aggressive idiot version of the GOP. I mean, sure, he’s loathesome, but he doesn’t do word salad. He’s clear and concise. A step up from Palin.

    I just wish he wasn’t so completely tasteless. This is a man with access to billions of dollars, who thinks that gold plated toilet fixtures are fancy, and who can’t manage to get a decent haircut or a good fitting suit. Just tacky.

  14. al-Ameda Avatar
    al-Ameda

    If you don’t mind, I’m going to pause this show for 15 minutes while I go out to buy more popcorn.

    I really, really, really … really hope that Trump polls well all the way to the Convention. I don’t believe that that’s going to happen, but I can dream.

  15. DrDaveT Avatar
    DrDaveT

    @Gustopher:

    This is a man with access to billions of dollars, who thinks that gold plated toilet fixtures are fancy, and who can’t manage to get a decent haircut or a good fitting suit.

    “What separates us from the animals is that we can accessorize.”

  16. CSK Avatar
    CSK

    @Neil Hudelson:

    It might even be Palin–unless, at that point, she’s swamped with out-of-wedlock grandchildren.

  17. MarkedMan Avatar
    MarkedMan

    You know, I hadn’t been thinking about Trumps future much except for wondering if he would be able to outdo his last buffoonery. But I can see a plausible mechanism for him staying in as a third party candidate. I expect as the rest of the clowns drop below 1-2% in the polls and the money spigots turn off, they will drop out and talk about how much they loved Jeb! all along. But Trump, well, he can keep this going with a few million of his own money indefinitely. And the racists will continue to back him. No, he can’t win the primary, but he could definitely spoil the election for Jeb! if he runs as an independent. Which means the media will stay on him during the whole race, giving him what he wants.

    Interesting to think about, but in the end I don’t think Trump has anywhere near the attention span to keep this going another 14 months. Right now every day is new to him but there will come a time when it is too boring and he’ll drop out.

  18. MBunge Avatar
    MBunge

    I hate to say it…but I’m edging ever so slightly in favor of Trump in this mess. Not enough to want him as a President or GOP nominee but it is delicious to watch a political establishment which has almost entirely given itself over to people like Trump be so horrified when one of those people decides to cut out the middle man and do it himself.

    Mike

  19. dazedandconfused Avatar
    dazedandconfused

    My pet theory that he is subliminally driven to start his retirement by destroying his public career and relevance purrs along contentedly…

  20. M. Bouffant Avatar
    M. Bouffant

    @dazedandconfused: Après nous, le déluge!

  21. JohnMcC Avatar
    JohnMcC

    @MarkedMan: You are so right, my friend, that the possibility (?certainty) of a Trump third-party-run is very high on every Repub’s list of horrors. In the comments threads it is referred to as the ‘Perot option’. They named it and know how it goes because they’re pretty sure it cost them the 2d term of George HW Bush. Perot got over 19 million votes that they feel ‘belonged’ to Poppy Bush, over 19% of the popular vote. And there are plenty of them commenting that do not mind at all that Donald could cost Jeb! the election because they dearly hate them some Bushes.

    If the Repub party cannot control it’s own candidates, it’s a dying organization. Good riddance.

    I do not look forward with happiness to the successor to the Republican party, however.

  22. DrDaveT Avatar
    DrDaveT

    @JohnMcC:

    I do not look forward with happiness to the successor to the Republican party, however.

    I look forward to the successor to the Republican party. What I don’t much relish is the interim abomination we’re going to have to live with during the death throes.

  23. jukeboxgrad Avatar
    jukeboxgrad

    Graham has a sense of humor:

    Probably getting a new phone. iPhone or Android?

    It would be a good move now for Trump to offer to buy Graham a new phone. That would get Trump another set of headlines.

    But of course Graham doesn’t really need a new phone, he just needs a new number. So it’s all a big joke, just like the entire party.

  24. Tyrell Avatar
    Tyrell

    Donald – would you happen to know Taylor Swift’s number ?

  25. James P Avatar
    James P

    Lindsey Graham is a joke. It is highly unlikely he will even qualify for the debate.

    He’s like a bug and Trump is the windshield which is crushing him.

    I think it’s hilarious. Trump’s message is don’t eff with me or I’ll squash you like a bug. Lindsey Graham happened to be the bug on that particular day.

    LOVE IT!

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