Overview
- Karl says he phoned the morning after the 2024 election expecting to leave a message, but Trump picked up and pressed him to explicitly acknowledge the win.
- He compared the exchange to Breaking Bad’s “say my name” scene, recounting that Trump wanted him to verbalize the victory.
- On The View, Karl argued that Trump’s public flirting with a 2028 run is chiefly a tactic to rattle opponents and keep attention on himself, not a firm plan.
- Karl said his reporting points to legacy goals, citing Trump’s focus on White House renovations and pursuing foreign peace deals as image-shaping priorities.
- He noted a three-decade relationship and unusually direct phone access to Trump, drawing on-air reactions from co-hosts who called the dynamic strange.