President Trump had a dramatic clash with CNN’s White House reporter on Wednesday, after the high-profile reporter peppered Trump with questions and refused to give up the microphone. It was just one of several testy exchanges during the nearly 90-minute press conference.
Jim Acosta had asked several questions about the caravan of migrants attempting to illegally enter the United States, as well as the Russia investigation.
“That’s enough. Put down the mic,” Trump ordered Acosta, as a female White House aide tried to take the microphone from him.
However, Acosta initially refused to turn it over, and instead pushed her arm down.
“I tell you what, CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them,” Trump said. “You are a rude, terrible person, you shouldn’t be working for CNN.”
[BREAKING UPDATE – The White House has BANNED Acosta following the showdown]
“The caravan was not an invasion, it is a group of migrants moving up the border from Central America towards the border with the U.S.,” Acosta scolded Trump.
“Thank you for telling me that, I appreciate it,” Trump said, before saying he had not “demonized” immigrants as Acosta had claimed.
But as Trump answered, Acosta repeatedly interjected and went back and forth with Trump over how the White House had characterized the caravan.
CNN’s Jim Acosta Karate Chops White House Staff Member While Refusing To Give Up Mic pic.twitter.com/xc8KEswftC
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 7, 2018
“They’re hundreds of miles away, that’s not an invasion,” Acosta said.
“Honestly, I think you should let me run the country, you run CNN and if you did it well, your ratings would be much better,” Trump said.
Acosta later asked about the Russian investigation, which Trump then called a “hoax.” After Acosta eventually sat down, Trump said “the way you treat [White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders] is horrible and the way you treat other people is horrible,”
Acosta was helped by fellow reporter and NBC correspondent Peter Alexander, who called Acosta a “diligent reporter who busts his butt.”
Trump shot back: “Well, I’m not a big fan of yours either, to be honest.”
At that point, Acosta stood up and kept speaking to the president, to which Trump had another retort.
“When you report fake news, which CNN does a lot, you are the enemy of the people,” he said.
CNN fired back on Twitter, calling his attacks on the media “un-American.”
CNN’s response to @realDonaldTrump’s press conference today: pic.twitter.com/tJ3nZDnYwO
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) November 7, 2018
Later, in the press conference, Trump angrily told Urban radio reporter April Ryan to “SIT DOWN”, as she interrupted another reporter.
Trump repeatedly tells April Ryan to “sit down” when she tries to ask him a question pic.twitter.com/6Th5pBxQtU
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 7, 2018
He also slammed a question about his claim of being “a nationalist”, telling the black reporter it was “a racist question”.
Wow — A tone-deaf Trump accuses a black reporter, @Yamiche, of asking him “a racist question” by pressing him on his self-professed nationalism pic.twitter.com/xz25wHSeG6
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 7, 2018
TRUMP: “I have never used racist remarks” pic.twitter.com/WfopqzZVGF
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 7, 2018
(AP)
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24 Responses
Look who’s calling the kettle black
You would think Trump would act with a little humility the day after he lost the house.
He just doesn’t have it in him to act in a presidential fashion.
Some of these reporters sound like gutter people. They have no Derech Eretz for the President or for the American People or for anyone else.
President Trump’s probably feeling a little bit testy in the wake of his new reality and the knowledge that his days of running his mouth with impunity all over Washington are over. Time to pay the piper.. and he’s not liking the tune..
ah zah chutzpeh to talk to a president that way.
Whenever confronted with an outright lie (aka caravan invasion etc.) the Trumpkopf’s response has always been to simply push back harder…..As you recall from last week, in a moment of candor he said “I try to tell the truth when I can” At other times, he and his spokespeople have said “we are entitled to our own facts and don’t believe what you see or hear”. This morning, the Trumpkoppf simply said you are a terrible person for calling me out on my lies…
Tombstone:
Here lies Jim Acosta, jerk ,who led an empty life.
Feebly attempted to destroy those who accomplished goals and lived their dreams.
A nobody who sold his “soul” to Mammon & Ashmedei.
Kleenex please…..
I do wish we had a president who could calmly and directly answer a reporters question. It is so embarrassing to watch this man behave like a petulant 11 year old.
Trump is a disgrace
All he can do is insult peoples ratings
Kol haposel bemumo posel
If that jerk Acosta would have a little manners and derech eretz he would get a lot further. He seems tho think if he doesn’t insult the white house, he’s not doing his job. If he can’t be civil he should be fired!
Wait, tombstone chiseler…!
Is there room to still engrave that Jim used to slap women’s hands when he toyed with microphones ??
When Turx was told by the president of the U.S. to ‘sit down!’ -to his credit he did exactly that. Had he acted like Acosta did here, it would have been a terrible chillul Hashem. Dina deMalchusah dinah. Acosta forgets he’s talking to the democratically elected president of the U.S.- POTUS should be given a certain amount of kovod when spoken to in public, even just for respect for the office he holds.
No question about it, Acosta was absolutely WRONG. A terrible example to youth in the U.S. who saw that…..
This is amazing. This is exactly why we elected him! And the media don’t realize that they are just tossing him ones right down the middle, and he just knocks it out every time. This is Trumps game and the media don’t know how to play it. MAGA!!!!
“trump destroys CNN reporter”
Are you glorifying this?
The man has the worst middos and derecb eretz of any public figure ever. If he wasn’t pro Israel, I doubt anyone self respecting Jews would support such s self centred rude Baal gaavah.
Wow. They really are harassing him.
I know a trafficking who used to say ״כי באפם הרגו איש״
Witha twist of a nose.
It’s all in the question.
These reporters really WANT him to fail.
Which one said he hopes America falls so we can throw out Trump
searchin345 I second that!
@jackk- It’s hysterical spinning like this that either shows you haven’t a clue what you’re talking about, or are misrepresenting the truth to use whatever you can to your advantage. In context, the Republicans did incredibly well in the house, and keeping it, in historical context, would have been a miracle, one that almost happened. You’re politically ignorant. Go check what happens to every president’s party during midterms, Obama even, and how many seats they lose in the house, and compare that to what just happened.
Did you catch the חומר העבירה according to CNN?
1)it’s dangerous
2) ( even worse ) it’s unAmerican
Leyzer
Probably not glorifying it, just reveling in it.
And why not? This reporter stood up to pick a fight with trump and lost. He is a fool to think he is going to win a verbal war with a sitting president, especially this one. He got what he asked for.
It’s actually refreshing to see a president STAND UP FOR THE HONOR OF THE PRESIDENCY.
I don’t mean that that is why trump did it. No. He did it for personal reasons. But the office demands it get done.
One of my main personal issues with bush 43 was exactly that. He took the supposed ”high road ” and In the process allowed the press to totally decimate him and his presidency. (and I’m the process gave us Obama. Which goes to show how important it is to not allow the presidency to be attacked by the media without full counterattack.)
(if he doesn’t fight back we may end up with Hillary)
Worst middos award for public figure in my opinion, Clinton’s.
Biggest ball gaavah ? By far Obama. What did he ever accomplish? That he has clear diction? That he can read a prepared speech?
Please tell me one thing the man has done UNSCRIPTED AND ON HIS OWN that shows above average intelligence.
One instance where he had to react on the spot to something and he impressed and rose to the occasion.
During his presidency, every time something happened, he disappeared for a few hours to learn how to react.
Yet the man was as pompous as you can get.
Trump, for all his bellicosity one thing we know is he is Mr spontaneous. His advisors complain that no-one can tell him what to do. Yet he has done many successful things.
For better or worse he has turned his name into a cash cow in business (pre presidency)
Look what he did to North Korea and Iran. All his own.
He has them quaking.
So no. He is not the biggest ball gaavah. You may hate him the most. But In gaavah Mr Obama is the clear winner
” The man (aka the Trumpkopf”) has the worst middos and derecb eretz of any public figure ever. If he wasn’t pro Israel, I doubt anyone self respecting Jews would support such s self centred rude Baal gaavah.
Well said. This is the sad reality faced by both Frum Jews and X’Tian Evangelicals. Do we simply ignore all the garbage for the few threads of policy issues (aka Embassy, Iran Agreement etc.) where he has done right. Seems like it gets harder every day to ignore the garbage, but some yidden are better at compartmentalization than others.
Dear Toi,
Excellent aswer to @jack.
I think as well that President trump did right to put the obnoxious rude reporter Acosta in its place. If a reporter enter White House to ask questions from our president then he should talk respectfully or keep him out. White House is not a zoo that let any disrespectful person who disturb President and all others enter there. Every body should learn and know to respect President of our time or out. The situation happened like a rude no desciplined teenager (the reporter) talked and acted very out of order
with his teacher, the instructor has the right to ask the teenager to
get out of the class then the teacher could teach and other students not get disturbed. If Acosta wanted to talk with President Trump, then he
had to talk and acted respectfully.
The president Trump did the right thing and we support and stand with him
G-d’s help and
G-d’s willing for better future of America.
Shiva…just to be sure we are reading you correctly….are you saying you believe this President is acting in a respectful and dignified manner that warrants reciprocity from the media and others or do we ignore the blatant lies, threats, demeaning name-calling and racist dog-whistles and treat him respectfully? My personal view is that the Office of the President warrants respect but at some point, when the occupant of that office acts with total contempt for the Office and people conflate “vulgarity” with “political incorrectness” the rules have changed. Acosta should definitely have backed off in this case since the President had already made a fool of himself but please don’t imply that the Trumkopf warrants respect historically accorded to Presidents who behaved like normal people.
Hashem teaches us that there is no room for Him in a baal gayvas world. So he leaves.
Have none of you learned any derech eretz?
Trump gives none, so he deserves none.
Jim was doing his job, asking tough questions that the American people deserve to have answered.
Trump just cant give any good answers, so he sprays shotgun pellets into the crowd.
Good luck, american jews.
Gadolhadorah
You present a air choice
1) we give respect to the holder of the device regardless of who it is or how he acts
2) we use reciprocity.
Let’s grant number two (being as based on number one trump can do what he wants and still demand respect)
Question. Where is the starting point?
Does the fact that the media called him a joke and many other derogatory things from the day he announced his. Candidacy not equal anything??
Perchance he also holds of merit and reciprocity, and therefore he feels no need to be civil towards an openly antagonistic and downright hostile media?