Trump uses personal phone number for diplomacy, breaches protocol

Another glitch padded into the already scandal-ridden and awkward presidency of Donald Trump, as this time he broke the diplomatic protocol handing out his cell phone number to world leaders for contact.

US President Trump not only shared his personal phone number but also urged the Mexican, French and Canadian leaders to contact him directly, bypassing the traditional secure phone lines.

The bizarre invitation is raising concerns about the security of the US President’s mediated communications.

However, among the leaders approached Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken advantage of the offer so far, according to US officials who demanded anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal the information, The Guardian reported.

Trump and the French President, Emmanuel Macron also exchanged numbers when two spoke to each other immediately after Macron won the election, according to a French official, who refused to comment on whether Macron intended to use the line.

The conversations through personal number might not be a big trouble but for world leaders it can prove to be one as they are highly orchestrated affairs and vulnerable to eavesdropping from foreign governments. The freewheeling and impulsive Trump is also said to have expressed distrust of official channels by his act.

The caution is warranted especially with international history replete with incidents of line taping. In 2003, leaks by Edward Snowden revealed the US was monitoring German Chancellor, Angela Merkel’s cell phone and many other world leaders’ phones and accounts.

The action seemed unpredictable as Trump lambasted Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of state, during last year’s presidential campaign for using a private email server and leaving the classified information vulnerable to the foreign foes.