8 theories on what Trump was doing during 8-hour gap in White House phone logs

Internal White House records from January 6, 2021, have been released to the House, indicating there was a mysterious seven-hour and 37-minute gap in former President Donald Trump's call logs.

The intriguing gap in phone calls from 11:17 a.m. to 6:54 p.m. has left many people wondering what the former president was up to, given the Capitol was being attacked by people trying to overturn the election results in his favour.

So we've taken it upon ourselves to come up with a (mostly) tongue-in-cheeky list of potential activities the president might have been up to.

1. Practicing for his alleged 'hole in one'

Donald Trump plays golf at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia in November 2020. Getty Images

It's well-known that Trump is a big fan of golf. According to TrumpGolfCount.com, Trump racked up an estimated 261 rounds of golf during his presidency and that likely isn't a completely accurate number.

With 17 of his courses to choose from, there's always the possibility the former president was hitting balls and unable to answer the phone for almost eight hours.

If he was playing a few holes on Jan 6, it paid off: he says he recently nailed a hole-in-one (without providing evidence).

2. Binge-watching Fox News

Donald Trump watches TV from the lower press room in the White House from November 2020 Getty Images

As an avid Fox News watcher, it's possible the former president got caught up watching events unfold at the Capitol on TV.

It was revealed in a 2017 New York Times article, that Trump often watched Fox News programming as a way to comfort himself and spend "at least four hours a day, and sometimes as much as twice that, in front of a television."

It's easy to get lost in a fascinating show, especially one sharing live footage of supports violently storming the Capitol.

3. Strategizing a way to get round a Twitter ban

On January 8, 2021, Twitter officially banned former president Donald Trump from using its platform Getty Images

By Jan 6 it was clear Twitter was on the brink of banning the former president from the platform due to misinformation so perhaps while Washington D.C. was in disarray, the president was thinking of a new one to share his thoughts.

Trump founded his own social media platform, Truth Social in October of 2021 as a way to continue sharing information with supporters. The app probably took some time to develop - maybe eight hours?

4. Drinking Diet Coke and munching on McDonald's

A waiter pours a Diet Coke for Donald Trump for a luncheon in September 2018 Getty Images

A quick eight-hour lunch break is always needed when you have one of the world's busiest jobs. It's well-known the president's favorite meal consisted of McDonald's Fish-O-Fillet and a Diet Coca-Cola.

Eater reported that former staffers for President Trump had seven steps to serve the former president a Diet Coke - no wonder his lunch break may have taken so long.

Sign up for our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter

5. Reading a MAGA romance novel

The infamous MAGA red hat made popular by Donald Trump Getty Images

There is an entire community of people who write, and read, novels with major Trump energy. For all we know, the president was spending his Wednesday reading the collection of books that praise him.

6. Seeking Advice from 'Q'

A Q-Anon flag waved in front of the Capitol building Win McNamee/Getty Images

While several thousand Trump supporters were attempting to seize the Capitol, it's possible the former president was seeking advice from the mysterious individual who started the unhinged QAnon theory - Q himself (or herself).

7. Doing his hair and makeup

Donald Trump's iconic hair and bronzed face Eric Bardat / Getty Images

It likely takes time fluffing the president's blonde hair and applying orange bronzer. For the eight hours Trump was not answering or making calls, he could have been perfecting his iconic look.

In a 2019 Vox article, the publication did a deep dive into the bronzy makeup the president potentially used to give himself a sunburnt glow.

8. Orchestrating the insurrection

The option the House is currently investigating is the president was in fact making phone calls to allies using separate devices, aides' personal devices, or burner phones. Extensive public reporting indicates the former president was speaking with people throughout the day.

In a statement Monday night, Trump said, "I have no idea what a burner phone is, to the best of my knowledge I have never even heard the term."

A Trump spokesperson said that Trump had nothing to do with the records and had assumed any and all of his phone calls were recorded and preserved according to CBS News.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.