Trump Mistakenly Phoned Official He Fired: ‘Why the F*ck Would I Talk to H.R. McMaster?’

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

The White House erroneously set up a call between President Donald Trump and a national security advisor he fired during his first term, CBS News reported on Wednesday night.

“Just over a month ago, retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster received an unexpected call on his personal cell, four sources told CBS News,” the report began. “It was from the White House and he was instructed by the voice on the other end to stand by for the president.”

McMaster served as Trump’s NatSec advisor for about 14 months until the president fired him in 2018. Last year, McMaster published a book about his time in the role and described Oval Office meetings with Trump as “exercises in competitive sycophancy.”

Last month, Trump fired off a social media post calling McMaster “A WEAK AND TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE LOSER” after McMaster appeared on 60 Minutes and questioned Trump’s outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

CBS News said that on March 3, McMaster received a call and was told to stand by for the president:

“Henry…” is how Trump opened the call before launching into the conversation, according to two sources who were not authorized to discuss private conversations.
It was then that McMaster knew this familiar voice was indeed Mr. Trump. But he also realized something else: the commander-in-chief had not intended to call him at all.

McMaster goes by H.R., short for Herbert Raymond. Not Henry.

“Mr. President, this is H.R. McMaster,” he said into the phone.

“Why the f*** would I talk to H.R. McMaster?” Trump asked dismissively, and then Trump launched into a scathing critique of his former aide, two sources said.

The call was brief.

Two sources told CBS News that Trump was trying to reach South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. The report noted that it is unknown who was responsible for the mixup.

H.R. McMaster is a CBS News contributor and declined to comment for the report.