Trump Humiliates CNN's Acosta By Explaining How He Puts America First - WATCH
Reporter shut down for 'asking a nasty, snarky question' during White House presser
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President Donald Trump humiliated CNN's chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta during a fiery exchange at the daily coronavirus briefing on Monday.
Acosta tried to make a big splash in the Rose Garden when he attempted to grill the president over his past rhetoric on the Chinese virus outbreak in the weeks leading up to the national crisis.
His plan severely backfired though as Trump dropped the hammer by explaining that he is putting America first instead of pursuing CNN's agenda to sow fear and division.
"What do you say to Americans who are upset with you over the way you downplayed this crisis?" Acosta asked.
He referenced earlier quotes from the president, including when Trump urged Americans to remain calm and said roughly a month ago, "It's going to disappear. One day, it's like a miracle, it will disappear."
Acosta added, "What do you say to Americans who believe that you got this wrong?"
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Acosta's full question was as follows:
“What do you say to Americans who are upset with you over the way you downplayed this crisis over the last several months?"
He then proceeded to read out past statements from President Trump:
"‘We have it very much under control in this country.’
"‘The coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. It’s going to disappear. It’s like a miracle. It will disappear.’
"March 4: ‘We have a very small number of people in this country infected.’
"March 10: ‘We’re prepared. We’re doing a great job with it. It will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.’
"What do you say to Americans who feel you got this wrong?”
Trump replied:
"It will go away, and I do want them to stay calm, and we are doing a great job.
"If you look at those individual statements, they’re all true.
"Stay calm. It will go away.
"You know it is going away and it will go away and we’ll have a great victory.
"And its people like you and CNN that say things like that — that’s why people just don’t want to listen to CNN any more.
"You could ask a normal question; the statements I made are — I want to keep the country calm.
"I don’t want panic in the country; I could cause panic much better than even you; I could make you look like a minor-league player.
"But you know, I don’t want to do that.
"I want to have our country be calm and strong and fight and win.
"And it will go away.
"And it is incredible the job that all of these people are doing, putting them all together, the job that they are doing.
"I am very proud of the job that they’re doing, that Mike Pence is doing, that the task force has done, that Honeywell and Procter & Gamble and Mike and all of these people have done.
"I’m very proud; it’s almost a miracle, and it is, the way it’s all come together.
"And, instead of asking a nasty, snarky question like that, you should ask a real question, and other than that I’m gonna go to somebody else."
WATCH:
Video: HERE IT IS -- Fake News Jim @Acosta gets NUKED by the President for "asking a snarky question" that does nothing to help save lives and move the country forward through this #coronaviruspandemic pic.twitter.com/Qpm0BKub2S
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 30, 2020
After scolding Acosta, Trump cut him off and moved on to other questions.
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In late February, Acosta told Trump, “Mr. President, I think our record on delivering the truth is a lot better than yours sometimes, if you don’t mind me saying.”
Trump fired back, “Let me tell you about your record, your record is so bad you ought to be ashamed of yourself.
"You have the worst record in the history of broadcasting.”
Acosta answered, “I’m not ashamed of anything and our organization is not ashamed.”
