WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s transition from gadfly to leader of the free world got off to an uneven start this week. Although he tapped a succession of prominent conservatives to serve in his administration — as would any typical Republican — his interactions with various world leaders seemed slipshod and haphazard.
The New York Times reported that important leaders resorted to cold-calling Trump to reach him. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both succeeded in getting through this way. When Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull couldn’t find a number, he asked his nation’s US ambassador for help. That envoy got hold of famed Aussie golfer Greg Norman, a Trump pal, who provided Trump’s personal cellphone number, according to BuzzFeed.