CNN blasted President Trump on Wednesday after he publicly berated its reporter Jim Acosta during a White House presser. Trump spent a substantial amount of time during his post-midterms press conference admonishing reporters who pressed him on his anti-immigrant rhetoric or the Mueller probe. The president shouted down Acosta after he asked why Trump “demonized” the asylum-seeking migrants fleeing violence in Guatemala and Honduras. “CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them,” he said, pointing at Acosta. “You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn’t be working for CNN. You’re a very rude person.”
In a statement following the presser, CNN defended their reporter: “This president’s ongoing attacks on the press have gone too far. They are not only dangerous, they are disturbingly un-American. While President Trump has made it clear he does not respect a free press, he has a sworn obligation to protect it. A free press is vital to democracy, and we stand behind Jim Acosta and his fellow journalists everywhere.”
—Maxwell Tani
