President Trump has rejected attempts by White House staffers to improve security surrounding his cellphone, choosing to use a device that lacks top security features and could leave him vulnerable to surveillance or hacking, Politico reported Monday.
Two senior administration officials told Politico that Trump uses at least two iPhones, both issued by White House agencies. One is only for making phone calls, while the other reportedly hosts solely the Twitter app and some news sites.
Aides have pushed Trump to change out the phone used for Twitter every month but he has rejected their efforts, calling it “too inconvenient,” according to one official.
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Trump has gone up to five months without having security experts check the phone used for Twitter, Politico reported. It’s unknown how often the phones used for calls are changed.
The move is a break in security protocol from past administrations — former President Obama’s phones were reportedly examined for possible hacking and other suspicious activity every 30 days.
The phone Trump uses for calls includes a camera and a microphone, which could be used by hackers to access the device.
The GPS on both of Trump’s phones is reportedly deactivated.
The White House declined to comment to Politico for the report.
Trump is well known for tweeting from his personal account, and lawmakers have described getting cellphone calls from the president.
Former national security officials said that Trump rejecting the additional security measures could put him at risk, as he is a major target for hackers.
The White House has banned staffers from using their personal cellphones at work after a series of damaging leaks.
And it was reported last year that chief of staff John Kelly’s phone was breached as far back as December 2016.