Chinese and Russian spies eavesdrop on Donald Trump’s mobile phone calls, report says

Chinese spies often eavesdrop on US President Donald Trump when he uses his unsecure mobile phone to gossip with old friends, and Beijing uses what it learns to try to sway US policy, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing current and former US officials.

Trump’s aides have repeatedly warned him that his mobile phone calls are not secure and that Russian spies routinely eavesdrop on the conversations, but they say the president still refuses to give up his iPhones, the Times reported.

The officials said US spy agencies had learned from people in foreign governments and by intercepting communications from foreign officials that China and Russia were listening to the president’s calls.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the Times report which also said aides had tried to pressure Trump into using his secure White House landline more often.

China has a sophisticated approach toward the intercepted calls and is seeking to use them to determine what Trump thinks, whom he listens to and how best to sway him, the Times reported, citing the officials.

Beijing particularly is trying to use what it learns to prevent the current trade war between the two countries from escalating further, according to the newspaper.