“Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey didn’t want to be interrupted while he was certifying Joe Biden’s election victory in the state ― not even by Donald Trump. The Republican state leader confirmed Wednesday that the defeated president was on the line when viral video showed Ducey ignoring a phone call as he signed the certification paperwork, the Arizona Republic reported. During the public ceremony, “Hail to the Chief” sounded from Ducey’s phone ― a ring tone the governor has said he used to signal a call from Trump or Vice President Mike Pence. Ducey pulled the cellphone from his pocket, quickly checked the caller ID and placed the phone on his desk. He then resumed signing documents to validate President-elect Joe Biden’s win in Arizona. Ducey was asked at a press conference if Trump had called to ask him to not certify the vote. Trump continues to push baseless claims of widespread and he and his allies have unsuccessfully pressured state GOP leaders to go along with the lie. “The answer is no,” Ducey replied, per the Republic. Ducey said putting his phone aside was the right call, “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,” he said. He said he later called Trump back. “The president has got an inquisitive mind,” Ducey said, per The Associated Press. “When he calls, he’s always got a lot of questions, and I give him honest answers, direct feedback and my opinion when it is necessary.” But Ducey discovered that even as a GOP supporter of the president, he is not immune from Trump’s wrath. The president posted a video of Ducey officially confirming Arizona’s results and asked on Twitter: “Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office … Republicans will long remember!” Ducey, despite Trump’s continuing attempt to stoke the stolen election lie, declared Arizona’s election system “strong.”
