Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Takes Surprise Call from President-Elect Donald Trump

NASHVILLE, TN — During an interview with The Tennessean Monday, Metro Nashville Mayor Megan Barry had an unexpected chat with President-elect Donald Trump, who had called former United Nations Ambassador and Atlanta mayor Andrew Young to talk about Trump's ongoing dispute with civil-rights legend Rep. John Lewis.

Young, in Nashville Monday to speak at a breakfast at law firm Bone McAllester Norton, was sitting down with the newspaper and the mayor when his phone rang. On the other end was Trump, who had just gotten out of a meeting with Martin Luther King III. Young wouldn't divulge what the president-elect told him, but it was clear from his end of the call that Trump had called to talk about Rep. John Lewis, who has called Trump an illegitimate president. That prompted a storm of tweets from Trump, who called Lewis' Atlanta-area congressional district "horrible" and "crime-infested" and said that Lewis was "all talk" and "no results."

While a student at Fisk University, Lewis was at the forefront of the civil rights movement in Nashville, leading the first lunch counter sit-ins here. He was arrested more than 40 times and was among the first Freedom Riders.

"John is a good ... a very good man, he is really a saint," Young told Trump, according to The Tennessean. "He is kind of disillusioned right now, but he will come back."

Barry used her time on the line with Trump to talk about infrastructure funding, according to the paper.

“As I’ve said since President-elect Trump was elected, one way that we can unite after the divisive election is behind an idea that both Secretary (Hillary) Clinton and President-elect Trump supported — investing in our transportation infrastructure,” Barry said. “It is an idea that would make America more economically competitive, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for residents all across the country. I appreciated Ambassador Young giving me the opportunity to speak with President-elect Trump, and I intend to continue having an open dialogue with the Trump administration so that I may advocate for federal policies and programs that will keep Nashville moving forward.”

Barry was a supporter of Clinton during the election and in the two months since Trump's victory has been largely conciliatory. She has made indications, however, that she will resist policies advocated by Trump during the campaign, for example saying that Metro Police will not be used to "enforce federal immigration policies."

Young told the newspaper that both Lewis and Trump made mistakes in the last few days but he made a "guarantee" the two men will eventually work together.