How Trump won over Never Trumper Erick Erickson

What actually happened, and what Trump didn’t tell Breitbart, is that it was the president who called Erickson—on more than one occasion—early this year to court the blogger’s public support and allegiance ahead of the campaign.

“He actually called me and it was in January,” Erickson told The Daily Beast. “I almost didn’t answer in January,” he continued. “I was putting up Christmas decorations [in the attic] and it was an unlisted number. I assumed it was CNN calling and was too busy to go do TV. But they called immediately back and I answered.”

Once connected, Erickson said the president thanked him for a piece he had authored on the legislative fight over a wall on the southern border, and conveyed “how glad he was that we had found some common ground.” Trump, Erickson recalled, “said he knew I was willing to stand by my convictions so it meant a lot to him that I was willing to speak up on that.”