President Donald Trump has been causing delays in White House meetings by stopping official business to make phone calls to friends and media figures, according to a new report. The president often puts Oval Office meetings on hold to speak with people who are not related to the meeting topic, sources told NBC News.
Trump’s phone call habit has become a regular part of his White House routine during his second term. Officials say the president will suddenly pause important government business to call people on his cellphone. This behavior has led to meetings running much longer than planned, with some people expecting to stay for 30 minutes ending up stuck at the White House for hours.
The president’s phone call targets include Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White and media owner Rupert Murdoch. “He’ll say, ‘Let’s call Rupert. Fox is killing me today,'” one official told NBC News about Trump’s tendency to call the Fox News owner during meetings.
Trump seeks advice from Murdoch on major policy decisions
Trump has called Murdoch not just about media coverage but also for advice on serious foreign policy matters. The president reached out to the media mogul for his thoughts on the conflict between Israel and Iran and whether the United States should get involved. Trump later ordered military strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, a decision that his niece Mary Trump criticized as invoking ‘a God he does not believe in, though it remains unclear what advice Murdoch gave during their conversation.
Remember that time one of Donald Trumps brainwashed MAGA Cult Zombies murdered those two Senators from Minnesota and Trump went golfing instead of attending their Funerals? He's so awesome….
— danielsinn (@scienceBYchoice) July 2, 2025
The chaotic nature of Trump’s second administration extends beyond phone calls. Meetings often run into each other, creating scheduling problems throughout the day – a stark contrast to Trump’s previous approach to time management, having spent 25% of his first presidency golfing while now cracking down on federal workers’ holidays. ‘If you’re in a meeting about preparedness and the next meeting is about whatever, he’ll say, ‘Stick around,” one senior administration official explained about how Trump combines different meeting topics.
Military leaders have raised concerns about security issues related to Trump’s casual approach to sensitive information. Officials worry about “spillage” of classified details after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg walked unannounced into a meeting about the Air Force’s planned F-47 fighter jet. This incident highlights the loose security protocols that have developed around Trump’s informal meeting style.
Trump’s phone habits are not new to his presidency. A GOP senator told NBC News that the president “lives on the telephone” and that his behavior has not changed much from his first term. The senator recalled Trump asking why he does not call more often, showing how much the president values these personal phone conversations even while handling presidential duties.
