At an event to certify the election results on Monday (November 30), Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s cell phone started ringing in his suit pocket, notes “Hail to the Chief” being caught on the podium's microphone, before he silenced it and put it to the side.
Ducey was signing the papers to certify the state’s vote, officially designated 11 electoral votes to President-elect Joe Biden when the call came in.
On Wednesday (December 2), reporters asked the governor if the call he silenced was indeed the Commander-in-Chief, Donald Trump.
He confirmed their suspicions, saying that it was Trump calling from the White House during the vote certification ceremony.
Ducey said he typically keeps his conversations with the president confidential, however he wanted to be transparent since some guessed the intention of Trump’s call was to get the governor to change the results.
“The answer is no,” Ducey said in response to questions if Trump asked him to alter the state’s election results.
Ducey silenced his phone at the ceremony but called him right back after it was over.
“I was at a public ceremony, doing an official act, so regardless of who was calling, I was not going to answer the phone at that moment,” Ducey explained to reporters.
Of what Trump actually said, Ducey only shared that, “The president has got an inquisitive mind. When he calls, he’s got a lot of questions, and I give him honest answers, direct feedback and my opinion when it is necessary.”
With Ducey’s certification, Biden took the state, beating out Trump by 10,457 votes. Hours after the certification, the president took to Twitter in a flurry of posts, reposting a tweet that said Ducey “betrayed” Arizona.
Ducey responded with several tweets of his own, reaffirming the state’s election processes and safety.
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