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One of President Donald Trump's least favorite media outlets, CNN, published a story detailing a recent meeting of the White House's virus task force—its first meeting since April.
According to the CNN report, a source familiar with the meeting expressed concern that the President still isn't fully grasping the severity of the virus that's killed nearly 160 thousand Americans in six months.
The source said:
"He still doesn't get it. He does not get it."
The source went on to say that the President frequently changed subjects in the meeting whenever someone confronted him with the urgency of the situation.
CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta, who co-authored the report with CNN's Maegan Vazquez, shared the source's claims on Twitter.
A source familiar with Trump's Tuesday Oval Office meeting with his coronavirus task force said the president is still not demonstrating that he has a firm grasp of the severity of the pandemic in the US.
“He still doesn't get it," the source said. “He does not get it."
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 5, 2020
Acosta is arguably the President's least favorite reporter. In addition to the President's repeated insults to Acosta on Twitter, the White House famously revoked Acosta's press pass after he refused to stop asking Trump a question at a press briefing. The pass was later restored by court order.
Acosta's report enraged Trump.
.@CNN has no sources on the Task Force. Their “sources" are made up, pure fiction! Jim Acosta is a Fake reporter!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2020
The President, who has made over 20 thousand misleading or outright false claims since his inauguration, accused CNN's reporting of being "pure fiction."
CNN's public relations account leapt in to defend the network.
False. @Acosta is a Real reporter with Real sources who talks to members of your Task Force much more often than you do.
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) August 5, 2020
The gloves were off and reactions were passionate.
This.👆🏾 pic.twitter.com/IQ50gKPUi1
— Jaden Jefferson (@Jaden_Reports) August 5, 2020
🤣👏🤣👏🤣 pic.twitter.com/FUkibjkNKR
— Amanda Shreve (@AmandaPalgrave) August 6, 2020
Well played. Well played.
— Heather, George, RIP🌈Blackie, Winnie, and Charlie (@edick_heather) August 6, 2020
shots fired
— Ron Raymond (@ronraymond) August 6, 2020
Acosta's fellow journalists defended him as well.
I can tell you @Acosta definitely has sources on the task force, he has broken stories I have matched and matched stories I have broken from inside that group. No way to do that without real sources. https://t.co/3gR9bSwlKG
— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) August 5, 2020
On top of being a real reporter, @acosta is a gracious colleague. Both at home and on foreign trips with the President, he has stood up for me even though we are technically competitors. https://t.co/EXhBNVCSg3
— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) August 5, 2020
But CNN was just one of many mocking the President's rant against Acosta.
do you have any idea just how ridiculous you sound
— Jeff Tiedrich (@itsJeffTiedrich) August 5, 2020
Donald Trump is a #FakePresident. 😳
— Jules Morgan (@glamelegance) August 5, 2020
Beauty And The Beast🎶 pic.twitter.com/qWLRAlEpQb
— Brown Eyed Susan (@smc429) August 5, 2020
We don't need @CNN to know that you still don't get it and never will.
— Chidi®️ (@ChidiNwatu) August 5, 2020
Every person everywhere reading a Trump tweet... pic.twitter.com/dWVwXgEwO1
— Scapper 💙 (@therealscapper) August 5, 2020
Acosta has since thanked those who defended him and continues to cover the Trump White House.