Donald Trump called in to an ESPN show on Tuesday just because he heard that the host had good things to say about him.
Trump appeared on the Pat McAfee Show a few days after he attended an NFL game in Maryland, during which he was booed while reading the Oath of Enlistment for new troops. He was also given several minutes in the Fox Sports booth during the game.
On Veterans Day, Trump phoned McAfee, who was airing his show from Parris Island, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in South Carolina. But the reason for his call, he admitted, had nothing to do with the date.
“I’m only joining you because I hear you say such nice things about me from your very large audience,” Trump, 79, told the former NFL punter, 38, who clapped for him. “When people say nice about me, I join. When they don’t say nice about me, I take a pass.”
“That’s not a bad way to look at things,” McAfee replied. “I feel very similar about how I treat people.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has claimed Trump is the “the most transparent and accessible” president in history, even as the White House recently banned reporters from entering a part of the West Wing that had long been open to them. Appointments are now required.
Trump, who has called press coverage he doesn’t like “fake news” and the media “truly the enemy of the people,” went on to talk about golf, college football and other sports. He also discussed the federal holiday with McAfee, who remained friendly throughout the 22-minute interview.
“We ended up putting in 9,000 people [in the Veterans Administration] that love our vets, and we take care of our vets... They are incredible people,” said Trump, who in 2018 called American soldiers who died in action during World War I “losers” and “suckers,” according to a report in The Atlantic.
After the interview, McAfee said that he had also reached out to former President Barack Obama to see if he would also like to come on the show, but scheduling conflicts prevented it.
“I think there’s a chance that conversation will happen later,” he said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
