In an unprecedented incident, Montreal’s ÉNERGIE radio station hosts duped former U.S. president Donald Trump, convincing him that he was speaking to supporters Clint Eastwood and Georges St-Pierre. The radio host duo, Sébastien Trudel and Jason Rockman, known for their audacious on-air pranks, admitted that this was their most bold move to date, and were taken aback by how swiftly they could connect with Trump.
During the phone call whose snippets were released by the station, Trump is greeted by Kevin, to which Rockman responds, “It’s not Kevin, it’s Mr. Eastwood. Kevin passed me his phone.” Enthused, Trump replied, “It’s an honour to talk to you again.” As their conversation unfolded, Rockman imitated Eastwood, and Trump spoke about his legal woes, saying, “I have to be the only guy ever to get indicted and my [polling numbers] are up 25 per cent.”
Later in the call, Rockman hands the phone over to Trudel, who impersonates Quebec-born mixed martial arts champion St-Pierre. Trudel then suggests a fundraising fight for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, an idea to which Trump responds, “Well, that’s very good, Georges. We’ll talk about that.”
After a few more minutes of the ruse, Trudel reveals the truth. He says, “Just one last thing, Mr. President. Actually, you’re on the radio now on ÉNERGIE. It was a prank call, Mr. President.” To his credit, Trump took the prank in stride. “It sounded a little hokey, but that’s OK. I’ve had that before,” he responded, and added some advice, “Have a good time, fellas. You just take care of yourselves.”
The radio host duo were astounded by the ease with which they reached Trump. Trudel divulged that after many trials with Trump’s close associates, Rockman succeeded in contacting someone at Trump’s golf club reception. Likely, this person relayed the message to Trump’s team. Consequently, Chamberlain Harris, the former White House receptionist, arranged a call with Rockman for Wednesday. According to Trudel, such a spectacle usually takes between one to three months to set up. This incident once again showcased their prowess in orchestrating on-air pranks.
