ABC’s Jonathan Karl Reveals Walter White-Like Call With Trump After 2024 Election | EUROtoday

ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl on Tuesday recalled talking with President Donald Trump mere hours after he gained the 2024 election, and in contrast Trump’s unbridled ego throughout that alternate to probably the most power-hungry characters in tv historical past.

Karl sat down with “The View” to advertise his new ebook “Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign that Changed America.” The anecdote about his cellphone dialog with the president was a standout for ABC’s former chief White House correspondent.

Karl prefaced the story by portray an image of how relentless election nights may be for members of the press, and mentioned he was lastly in a position to go residence round 4 a.m., however needed to be alert and awake by daybreak to debate Trump’s victory on “Good Morning America.”

“I get back into my hotel, finally, after ‘Good Morning America,’ a little after 7 in the morning, and I do something kind of silly. I call Donald Trump,” he mentioned. “There’s no way he’s going to pick up, but I figured I would just leave him a message, like, ‘After all this, congratulations, you won.’”

“And he picks up,” the journalist revealed. “And his voice, I mean, he hadn’t slept at all. I hadn’t slept. But [he goes]‘Hello, Jonathan.’ And I said, ‘Mr. President-elect, I just want to say congratulations.’ And he [replies]‘On what, Jonathan? On what?’ I was like, say it!”

Karl couldn’t assist however consider Walter White, the power-hungry antihero from AMC’s crime-drama “Breaking Bad.”

Trump’s brazen ask to demand readability on what Karl was calling about reminded the journalist of a scene in “Breaking Bad” the place White — who has turn out to be actually villainous at this level — tells his enemy, “Say my name.”

It was clear to the longtime journalist that Trump was relishing in his victory, demanding acknowledgment from those that had doubted him. Karl thus plainly answered Trump’s query, stating, “On the greatest comeback victory in the history of American politics.”

Still surprised concerning the alternate, Karl recalled, “But he wanted to hear me say the words.”

The anecdote, a microcosm of the obvious narcissism continuously exhibited by Trump, left “The View” co-hosts surprised. Sunny Hostin exclaimed merely, “Wow,” whereas Joy Behar argued that the president was “so needy” for making Karl spell out the praise.

Karl defined throughout his look Tuesday that he’s recognized Trump for 30 years, and mentioned his hostile demeanor in non-public usually clashes along with his perspective in public, or vice versa. The journalist then concluded with a curious principle about Trump’s general persona.

“I called my first book ‘Front Row at the Trump Show’ and he still does, I mean, he’s beyond that, but he still does see this as the world’s greatest reality show,” Karl mentioned Tuesday. “And you have to have villains.”