They might work on different networks at different times for different shows, but one thing unites many of America's biggest TV anchors: being on the receiving end of irritated phone calls from Donald Trump. In a roundtable for The Hollywood Reporter, ABC's George Stephanopoulos, Fox News' Bret Baier, CBS' Gayle King, NBC's Savannah Guthrie, and CNN's Jake Tapper all admitted President Trump has reached out to them over the years after seeing something he liked — or, more often, disliked — on their shows:
STEPHANOPOULOS I got one [when Trump was] president-elect. And again, it just shows how closely he watches these things. It was right before the inauguration. I was on with [ABC News White House correspondent] Jon Karl, it was when George H.W. Bush was in the hospital. This is a 90-second two-way on [Good Morning America], we pointed out that George H.W. Bush didn't vote for him. Bam. He calls up two hours later. He read Bush's letter [apologizing for missing the inauguration] to us over the phone and said, "I just wanted you to know this."KING And what was your response?STEPHANOPOULOS I kept him on the phone as long as I could, you know? (Laughter.)BAIER He used to call about polls at the beginning of the race when he was kind of low in the polls. He'd [say], "Where's this poll?" And, "You're putting out the wrong poll."STEPHANOPOULOS Polls and ratings. He would call after the Sunday show and say, "How did you do," or "Did I put you over the top?" [The Hollywood Reporter]
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