Clive Mason/Getty Images
President Donald Trump is just a phone call away. The device he uses to pick up, though, has changed over the years.
Today, many of the CEOs, celebrities, lawmakers, and journalists trying to reach him don’t need the White House switchboard. They simply call his iPhone.
Unlike any of his modern predecessors, Trump has maintained an unheard-of level of accessibility by maintaining his personal device. (According to The Atlantic, past advisors have tried to warn Trump that his habit leaves him vulnerable to hacking.)
It’s unclear what modifications have been made to Trump’s phone to address these worries. What is apparent is that Trump is rarely found without his device, though perhaps he’ll switch it out for a Trump-branded smartphone when it launches.
Trump demonstrated this himself during a May event in the Oval Office. As he was signing executive orders, Trump’s iPhone blared the “Reflection” ringtone. He looked down.
“It’s only a congressman,” Trump said.
Scroll on for a look at the evolution of Trump’s cellphone over the years.
Trump once had a flip-phone era.
Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Like most of us, Trump once had to live in the pre-smartphone era. The limitations of technology didn’t change his outlook.
In his 2004 book, “Trump: Think Like a Billionaire,” the future president said he liked phone calls because it was easier to get rid of people.
“The phone is easier because you can simply hang up.”
Trump’s phone is often in the picture even when it’s not in use.
Mary Altaffer/AP
Trump wasn’t an immediate Apple convert. While seeking the presidency ahead of the 2016 election, he often used both Android and Apple devices.
In 2015, The New York Times photographed Trump using a Samsung phone while showing off his Twitter feed.
His phone was never far from him on the campaign trail.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
During the 2016 GOP primaries, Trump had to take down a number of more experienced challengers. Here he is seen speaking during a lunch ahead of the 2016 South Carolina Republican primary, a contest he would win.
After winning the election, Trump didn’t part with his smartphone.
White House
President Obama stood out from other recent presidents in insisting on keeping his cellphone — a BlackBerry — after taking office. But, unlike Trump, Obama could not receive incoming calls.
Trump was no immediate Apple convert, but at some point, he began to make the switch. Dan Scavino, a former caddy who has become one of Trump’s most-trusted aides, wrote in 2017 that Trump was beginning to use an iPhone.
More than two years later, in October 2019, Trump made his feelings about Apple’s decision to ditch the physical home button known, in a tweet addressed to CEO Tim Cook.
Trump occasionally takes out his phone during meetings.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Trump is seen here looking down at his phone during a June 2020 roundtable discussion with Governors and small business owners focused on reopening businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Away from work, Trump remains reachable.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Trump pauses to look at his phone while playing a round of golf in November 2020.
Out of the White House, Trump hung on to his iPhone.
Just had a terrific meeting with President Trump! pic.twitter.com/jGyAnURAky
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) April 5, 2021
In this photo, then-former White House advisor Stephen Miller visited Trump at his office in Florida in 2021. On the right side of Trump, right next to a traditional landline, is the former president’s smartphone.
Occasionally, photographers snap a close-up, revealing he upgraded to a newer iPhone model.
Alex Brandon/AP
On January 20, 2025, Trump was preparing to be sworn in for his second term. On the way to the US Capitol, an Associated Press photographer caught the then-president-elect glancing at his iPhone.
The photo shows that Trump is using a newer model, since Apple first introduced the “Dynamic Island” cutout at the top of the screen, instead of the “notch” on earlier models, with the iPhone 14 Pro.
Trump’s phone shows an Apple News notification discussing Inauguration Day, a congratulatory text from an unknown number, and a missed called from Boris Epshteyn, a longtime Trump advisor.
Trump takes his iPhone everywhere.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/File/AP
Trump is seen returning to Joint Base Andrews after returning from a speech at a US Steel plant in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.
In transit, Trump can often be seen on his phone
Alex Brandon/AP
According to The Atlantic, those wishing to talk to Trump often try to time their calls so as to reach the president when he is riding in the motorcade or leaving the Oval Office.
Not everyone has great timing.
Evan Vucci/AP
Trump joked to reporters during a May executive order signing after his iPhone went off twice due to calls from two different congressmen.
Trump has a customized lockscreen.
Leah Millis/Reuters
In a picture captured by an eagle-eyed Reuters photographer, Trump’s iPhone lockscreen can be seen featuring an image of himself.
The post Photos show Trump’s been an iPhone guy for a while now appeared first on Business Insider.
