Donald Trump notably berated Acosta during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May this past July, refusing to answer a question from the reporter and insisting that CNN had no credibility.
“CNN is fake news. I don’t take questions from CNN. CNN is fake news. I don’t take questions from CNN…Let’s go to a real network”
Trump’s insults also got personal at the press conference that provoked the White House to revoke Acosta’s credentials. Trump fumed:
“CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them. You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn’t be working for CNN.”
Now, Americans are saying that the president is a tyrant for his targeting of Acosta, the network, and the press as a whole.
These grade school bullying antics by Benedict @realDonaldTrump are pathetic. He can't stand to be confronted with his lies and bullshit so he resorts to name calling and other childish antics. This moron should have been removed by the 25th Amendment on day 2.
— Jaason Gregorovious (@jaasongreg) November 19, 2018
Because our president is a middle school child who can’t let go of any perceived “slight”. He has all the power in this situation. If he doesn’t like Acosta, don’t call on him. That simple.
— Kim Wineman (@kbwineman) November 19, 2018
The danger of a narcissistic psychopath as POTUS was always going to be the innumerable ways he would erode and violate norms and ethics for his own promotion, the ways he would blur reality, and the normalization and acceptance of his infantile yet exploitive behavior.
— AntiNarcopathyPharmD (@narceducator) November 19, 2018
While it’s not unheard of for a president to dislike dealing with the media, each one has acknowledged the vital need for a free press in order to hold administrations accountable. The White House’s move towards banning a reporter and possibly even an entire network, to many, flies in the face of one of the country’s most sacred institutions.
