Trump claims his phone got hacked by the "radical left" after prayer call goes off the rails

"I think what happened was that the radical left was working on the phone. There is no question about it"

By Gabriella Ferrigine

Staff Writer

Published March 21, 2023 3:28PM (EDT)

US President Donald Trump uses his cellphone as he holds a roundtable discussion with Governors about the economic reopening of closures due to COVID-19, known as coronavirus, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, June 18, 2020. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump uses his cellphone as he holds a roundtable discussion with Governors about the economic reopening of closures due to COVID-19, known as coronavirus, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, June 18, 2020. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

A recent online prayer session led by a conservative Christian group went haywire before former President Donald Trump ultimately blamed the technical difficulties on the "radical left."

"The Pastors For Trump National Prayer Call", held on Monday, invited several prominent members of the GOP to partake in the session, including Trump, longtime Trump-ally Roger Stone, and Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Insider reported that the prayer call had been organized on Trump's behalf as the former president faces impending indictment charges for his role in hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. 

Not long after Trump hopped on the call, pastor and session host Jackson Lahmeyer began the discussion by asking Trump for a prayer request. Trump's audio briefly disconnected for several minutes before Trump was able to rejoin. 

"Okay, I guess we have some phone miscommunication. And I think what happened was that the radical left was working on the phone. There is no question about it," Trump asserted. 

Lahmeyer told The Daily Beast that the faulty phone call was likely due to "trolls."

"Everything froze on our end," Lahmeyer said. "I think the system got overloaded with the number of viewers." 

Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told the outlet that millions of Americans "are praying for President Trump because he is the only one standing in the way of radical, liberal prosecutors abusing their power from targeting citizens they disagree with."


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During the call, Stone argued that a "routine campaign finance violation" was being used to position Trump at the center of a "weaponized judicial process."

Flynn, who pleaded guilty to the FBI in 2017 for lying about communication with Russia, stated that Trump was saving America from going down a "godless path."


By Gabriella Ferrigine

Gabriella Ferrigine is a staff writer at Salon. Originally from the Jersey Shore, she moved to New York City in 2016 to attend Columbia University, where she received her B.A. in English and M.A. in American Studies. Formerly a staff writer at NowThis News, she has an M.A. in Magazine Journalism from NYU and was previously a news fellow at Salon.

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Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Brief Donald Trump Michael Flynn Politics Roger Stone