YIKES

Prankster Got Trump on Phone From Air Force One

The host of “The Stuttering John” podcast pretended to be New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez.

A podcast host got President Donald Trump on the phone Thursday while he was on Air Force One by pretending to be Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ). Axios reports Trump first congratulated the prankster, John Melendez, whom he thought was the senator, for going “through a very tough situation.” He also spoke about immigration, saying he would like to come up with a “larger solution rather than the smaller solution.” Trump remarked that the North Dakota Senate race would be “tough,” and said the new nominee for Justice Anthony Kennedy’s Supreme Court vacancy would be decided “in 12 to 14 days.” Melendez, host of “The Stuttering John” podcast, was patched through to the Air Force One line through the White House switchboard, calling White House security into question, Axios reports. He reportedly got through “three different interactions with two White House operators” and “two call screens before Jared Kushner called him from Air Force One.” Kushner then told Melendez that the line would call him back, and that’s how he eventually got through to the president. White House staffers are reportedly “freaking out,” and are trying to figure out how the podcast host managed to get the ear of the president.