CNN reporter banned from White House after spat with Trump at news conference
THE White House has suspended the press pass of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta after he and President Donald Trump had a heated confrontation during a news conference.
They began sparring after Mr Acosta asked Mr Trump about the caravan of migrants heading from Latin America to the southern US border.
When Mr Acosta tried to follow up with another question, Mr Trump said, “That’s enough!” and a female White House aide unsuccessfully tried to grab the microphone from Mr Acosta.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders released a statement accusing Mr Acosta of “placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern,” calling it “absolutely unacceptable”.
The interaction between Mr Acosta and the intern was brief, and Mr Acosta appeared to brush her arm as she reached for the microphone and he tried to hold on to it. “Pardon me, ma’am,” he told her.
Mr Acosta tweeted that Ms Sanders’s statement that he put his hands on the aide was “a lie”.
CNN said in a statement that the White House revoked Mr Acosta’s press pass out of “retaliation for his challenging questions”, and the network accused Ms Sanders of lying about Mr Acosta’s actions.
Mr Acosta had questioned Mr Trump’s reference to the caravan of migrants as an invasion, and Mr Trump defended the term.
“You should let me run the country,” Mr Trump said. “You run CNN and if you did it well, your ratings would be much better.”
After Mr Acosta asked about the investigation of Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election, Mr Trump tried to turn to NBC journalist Peter Alexander, but Mr Acosta continued to ask questions.
“CNN should be ashamed of itself having you work for them,” the president said to Mr Acosta. “You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn’t be working for CNN. The way you treat Sarah Sanders is horrible. The way you treat other people is horri- ble. You shouldn’t treat people that way.”
Mr Alexander came to his colleague’s defence. “I’ve travelled with him and watched him,” he said. “He’s a diligent reporter who busts his butt like the rest of us.”
“I’m not a big fan of yours, either,” Mr Trump replied.
“I understand,” Mr Alexander
❝ You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn’t be working for CNN. The way you treat other people is horrible
said, attempting to ask a question. Mr Acosta then stood back up and, without a microphone, mentioned the explosive devices recently sent to CNN and some of the president’s political opponents.
“Just sit down,” Mr Trump said. “When you report fake news, which CNN does a lot, you are the enemy of the people.” US President Donald Trump (top) gets into a heated exchange with CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta; and (above, from left) the president watches the unseemly row as a White House aide takes the microphone