Members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s staff share his hostile attitude towards the press, a newly circulated video proves, yet again. Throughout the just over one year of his presidency — and before that — Trump has routinely decried the mainstream media as “fake news.” CNN’s Jim Acosta is among the specific reporters the president has targeted, and on Monday, the administration went after him yet again.
At the time of the incident, a photo op featuring Trump and visiting Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was concluding. Acosta attempted to ask a question about new developments in the Russia scandal spearheaded by his own attorney Rudy Giuliani, but the CNN reporter was shouted down.
It’s not immediately clear which aide was doing the yelling since in an available video, the camera isn’t focused on Acosta or the staffer.
Whoever they are, while Acosta tried to talk, they yelled, seemingly intent on being louder than him:
‘Make your way out. Let’s go. Move, Jim, let’s go. Keep going, Jim, let’s go. Jim, we’re leaving. Come on, Jim. Go. We’re done.’
In addition, there’s actually a second aide who can be heard yelling similar phrases in the background at other members of the press.
White House aide shout down Jim @Acosta for asking collusion questions: “Move, Jim! Let’s go! Keep going Jim. Let’s go. We’re leaving. Come on Jim. Go. We’re done.” pic.twitter.com/UhGoN7CHN4
— Evan Rosenfeld (@Evan_Rosenfeld) July 30, 2018
Acosta first sought the president’s thoughts on Giuliani asserting to various media outlets that collusion with the Russians is not a crime, which doesn’t work as a defense for someone who’s innocent. Trump has asserted “no collusion, no collusion, no collusion,” and now his lawyer has decided to bring up that defense.
Acosta also attempted to ask the president if he thought the policy of separating undocumented immigrant families should be replicated in other countries. Trump does actually have a supporter in his anti-immigrant crusade in the new Italian Prime Minister, who was sitting next to him at the time, but he didn’t answer the question.
The incident comes not too long after the White House banned CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins from covering an open press event because staffers didn’t like questions she’d posed to the president earlier in the day. Before that, something like the Monday yelling at Acosta was the farthest the Trump administration had gone with tangible action against reporters.
In the wake of the Collins incident, The Washington Post revealed that Trump had actually sought to take similar action against specific journalists, including Jim Acosta, in the past. He also specifically targeted April Ryan in his behind the scenes ranting, according to the publication.
Trump has repeatedly butted up against Acosta, in particular, in public. While taking questions from reporters in the United Kingdom recently, he refused to take Acosta’s question because CNN is “fake news” and opted for a question from Fox’s John Roberts instead.
Trump’s infamous harassment of Acosta stretches all the way back to the time before he was in office. During his first press conference as president-elect, Trump refused to take a question from Acosta, snapping “you’re organization’s terrible” over and over again.
If members of the press hoped that would be the “peak” of Trump’s harassment of the press, they were wrong.
Featured Image via Screenshot from the Video
