US President Donald Trump granted a brief phone conversation to French journalist Margot Haddad of LCI on April 14, 2026. It marks the first time he has directly responded to a French media outlet since returning to the White House in 2025. Trump said he was in a meeting handling the situation in Iran.
On April 14, 2026, around 8:04 pm French time, LCI aired a voice recording of a phone conversation between Donald Trump and Margot Haddad. The channel announced the exchange with an 'urgent' banner. LCI's Washington correspondent, Matthieu Karmann, confirmed Trump was responding from the Oval Office at the White House.
Margot Haddad, who is writing a book on Trump's presidency, had been trying to reach him for months. Trump stated in English: 'I can't talk now but everything is going very well and I love France. I'm in a meeting, directly handling what's happening in Iran.' The call occurred around 1:30 pm local US time, with Trump flanked by the American flag and the presidential seal.
Matthieu Karmann noted that Trump usually only responds to American journalists, such as those from Fox News, CBS, or CNN, early in the morning, after golf, or late at night. This first interaction with French media breaks from his routine. Trump has been president since 2025, following his term from 2017 to 2021.
