ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl on Tuesday recalled speaking with President Donald Trump mere hours after he won the 2024 election, and compared Trump’s unbridled ego during that exchange to one of the most power-hungry characters in television history.
Karl sat down with “The View” to promote his new book “Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign that Changed America.” The anecdote about his phone conversation with the president was a standout for ABC’s former chief White House correspondent.
Karl prefaced the story by painting a picture of how relentless election nights can be for members of the press, and said he was finally able to go home around 4 a.m., but had to be alert and awake by dawn to discuss 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 said. “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 help but think of Walter White, the power-hungry antihero from AMC’s crime-drama “Breaking Bad.”
Trump’s brazen ask to demand clarity on what Karl was calling about reminded the journalist of a scene in “Breaking Bad” where White — who has become truly villainous at this point — tells his enemy, “Say my name.”
It was clear to the longtime journalist that Trump was relishing in his victory, demanding acknowledgment from those who had doubted him. Karl thus plainly answered Trump’s question, stating, “On the greatest comeback victory in the history of American politics.”
Still stunned about the exchange, Karl recalled, “But he wanted to hear me say the words.”
The anecdote, a microcosm of the apparent narcissism frequently exhibited by Trump, left “The View” co-hosts stunned. Sunny Hostin exclaimed simply, “Wow,” while Joy Behar argued that the president was “so needy” for making Karl spell out the compliment.
Karl explained during his appearance Tuesday that he’s known Trump for 30 years, and said his hostile demeanor in private often clashes with his attitude in public, or vice versa. The journalist then concluded with a curious theory about Trump’s overall 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 said Tuesday. “And you have to have villains.”