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Piers Morgan has lifted the lid on his phone call with Donald Trump this weekend – and revealed why the former president wanted Joe Biden to stay in the presidential race for as long as possible.
The controversial journalist detailed his conversation with the former US president who had called to thank him for his support following last weekend’s assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
According to Morgan, the 15-minute phone call included the 78-year-old’s confusion about the secret service’s response to his would-be assassin, and Biden’s poor performance as they faced off in the presidential debate.
Morgan, 59, said his so-called “favourite president” got in touch late on Saturday evening after the TV-host’s appearance on Fox News.
He had discussed Trump’s first rally appearance since the attack, declaring him “the Mick Jagger of politics”.
In an article for the New York Post, Morgan doubled down on the comparison as he wrote: “They’re virtually the same age (Trump’s 78, Jagger turns 81 this week), show zero sign of letting age dull their zest for life, and believe in putting on a high-energy show full of their greatest hits that they know their fans will love.”
Trump seemingly appreciated the likeness, as he phoned him to say: “Is that my man Piers? It’s your favourite president calling.”
He went on to say he was feeling “great” considering the circumstances as he described the sound of bullets “whistling past my head”.
Soon, the conversation turned to current President Joe Biden - who finally announced on Sunday that he was bowing out from his efforts to secure a second term in the White House following weeks of pressure from Democrat insiders and plummeting poll numbers.
Criticisms surged after Biden performed particularly poorly in a head-to-head debate in June.
Trump asked Morgan his opinion on the debate on Saturday before allegedly mocking the 81-year-old’s apparent cognitive decline.
In his article, Morgan said he told Trump: “If he stays in the race, you’ll win. And even if he doesn’t, I still think you’ll win.”
To which Trump replied: “I hope so. But four months is a long time in politics. Look at the last three weeks! I just hope he stays in as long as possible.”
Ironically, the president stepped down from the race mere hours later.
Trump responded to his resignation by claiming he would “down as the single worst president by far in the history of our country” in an interview with CNN.
The former president elaborated in a post on Truth Social, arguing Biden “was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve.”
“We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly,” Trump added.
The Republican candidate’s popularity soared after he survived an assassination attempt.
Following this attack, questions were raised about the lack of security intervention.
Trump admitted he was unsure how the shooter got so close to him as he told Morgan: “I’m surprised my Secret Service agents didn’t say I should wait 10, 15 minutes before going on stage, while they figured out what was going on.
“There were people in the crowd shouting about seeing the shooter on the roof, so I don’t know what happened.”
The pair have been long-time friends after meeting on Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” show in 2008 - which Morgan won.
They have had a turbulent relationship since, with Trump having stormed out of an interview after being told he hadn’t had the 2020 election “stolen from him”
They ended their phone call with the former reality TV star telling Morgan it had “been good to talk” and that he appreciated his Jagger compliment.
