From the first day of Donald Trump’s presidency, he’s had an axe to grind with Jim Acosta. The CNN reporter was a relative unknown until Trump attacked him during his first press conference as president-elect, pointing his finger and declaring Acosta “fake news.”
BRAVO @Acosta Proud To Be Your WH Press Corps Colleague Cheers JC CNN's Jim Acosta To Receive 'Truth to Power' Award https://t.co/omdtsR39sl
— Jon-Christopher Bua (@JCBua) April 14, 2019
Two years later, Trump’s approval ratings are still at unprecedented lows and tanking with every new scandal, while Acosta will receive the Gabe Pressman ‘Truth to Power’ Award from the prestigious Press Club.
According to The Wrap, the president of the Press Club, Jane Tillman Irving, issued a statement:
‘We are proud to honor a man such as Jim Acosta, who has proven himself throughout his storied, decades-long career to be a journalist of the utmost integrity. For his unwavering commitment to fact and journalism, we are pleased to add to Jim’s many accolades with the Gabe Pressman ‘Truth to Power’ award.’
Dear Diary… https://t.co/NAuMaQW6fl
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2019
Trump is sure to have something to say, just as he has before when Acosta refused to let either the president or his paid mouthpieces get away with lies, deflection, and other methods of dodging tough questions. The man who spends his days making up childish nicknames for his enemies, made sexist comments about Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and compiling “Fake News” awards for journalists who speak out against him expects Acosta to follow the rules of decorum, after all.
‘CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them. You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn’t be working for CNN. The way you treat Sarah Huckabee is horrible. The way you treat other people are [sic] horrible. You shouldn’t treat people that way.’
The Trump administration once tried to ban Acosta from the White House, tweeting out a doctored video that was supposed to show the reporter striking a female intern as she tried to take his mic out of his hand. The video was exposed as a lie, the courts ruled that Trump can’t ban reporters, and the president was left once again looking like a spoiled, petty, foolish wanna-be dictator.
U.S. Solicitor-General Theodor Olson said in a statement that:
‘The Supreme Court has held in no uncertain terms that the First Amendment protects ‘robust political debate,’ including ‘speech that is critical of those who hold public office.’
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
