CNN鈥檚 White House correspondent Jim Acosta has been called 鈥渢he enemy of the people,鈥� had his press pass briefly stripped away and has become an unwilling foil to U.S. President Donald Trump.
鈥�(It) started off as an act where he would taunt and troll us and call us 鈥榝ake news,鈥� and even the 鈥榚nemy of the people鈥� and has really spiraled out of his control,鈥� Acosta told 麻豆传媒 Washington Bureau correspondent Richard Madan.
鈥淭his rhetoric, this behaviour that he engages in, he's been able to realize some short-term political gains up until this point,鈥� Acosta added. 鈥淭he question is can he sustain it and win re-election in 2020? I have my doubts.鈥�
Acosta, who offers an insider鈥檚 account of covering the White House in his new book 鈥淓nemy of the People,鈥� said Trump鈥檚 harsh verbal attacks ripple down to his supporters, who in turn take it out on journalists.
鈥淭here are some folks out there who described themselves as Trump supporters who have absorbed this hostility and are now directing it at us in ways that make us feel endangered,鈥� he said.
While some CTV journalists go out of their way to showcase Canadian flags on their cameras to attempt to make Trump supporters friendlier, Acosta said his crew use a different tactic.
鈥淲e had to take our logos off of our camera and off of our equipment because the environment was that tense,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was that hostile. And we shouldn鈥檛 have to do that.鈥�
Acosta said it鈥檚 not their verbal attacks that most unnerve him. Last October, Trump supporter Cesar Sayoc allegedly mailed at least 13 pipe bombs to CNN鈥檚 New York headquarters and prominent Democratic Party politicians and donors.
After it was discovered that Sayoc targeted Acosta on Twitter, he was assigned a security detail.
TRUMP IS 鈥楥RAZY LIKE A FOX鈥�: ACOSTA
In "Enemy of the People," Acosta describes a chaotic White House where Trump's own staff worry about his outbursts and erratic behaviour. But Acosta doesn鈥檛 necessarily believe the president is mentally unfit.
鈥淚'm not a psychiatrist but what I would say 鈥� I think he's more crazy like a fox,鈥� Acosta said, meaning that although his behaviour may look strange there is strategy behind it.
Acosta believes this may explain the odd justification behind Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada, which the administration officially claimed was over supposed national security concerns. A top official went so far as to claim the reason was to stockpile domestic supplies 鈥渋n the event of a third world war,鈥� Acosta said. 鈥淚t just sort of smacks as you know, being kind of a whopper.鈥�
, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked Trump for a reason, Trump responded with, 鈥淒idn鈥檛 you guys burn down the White House?鈥� Trump appeared to be making a reference to the War of 1812 but he got his facts wrong. Canadians didn鈥檛 burn it down, the British did.
To cover the administration, Acosta said journalists 鈥渉ave to be tough.鈥� But there have been some particularly uncomfortable moments.
鈥淭rump often lashes out at Acosta, calling him 鈥渁 rude person鈥� during one famous exchange. Their combative interactions fuel online memes and praise from Acosta鈥檚 defenders who say he bravely calls out Trump鈥檚 media spin.鈥�
The White House has described Acosta as a shameless self-promoter.
When asked whether he thinks he鈥檚 crossed any line, Acosta said he doesn鈥檛 believe he has. 鈥淣o, I think that, day in and day out, I am dedicated to doing straight news reporting on this administration,鈥� he said.
ON KELLYANNE CONWAY
Despite her public criticism of Acosta, Trump confidant Kellyanne Conway was one of the few officials to candidly speak on the record for the book.
Although Acosta said people are right to take Conway鈥檚 words with a grain of salt, she told him that she disagreed with Trump鈥檚 use of the phrase 鈥渆nemy of the people.鈥�
Acosta says Conway also told him she disagreed with Trump鈥檚 zero-tolerance policy on migrants flooding into the southern U.S., which meant they could be jailed and separated from their children.
Conway famously said the White House had its own 鈥渁lternative facts,鈥� after then press secretary Sean Spicer made an obviously false statement about attendance during the Trump inauguration.
鈥淲hen she told me that she messed up basically when she said 鈥榓lternative facts,鈥� I think there was some truth to that,鈥� Acosta said. 鈥淪he didn鈥檛 mean it to be an Orwellian thing to excuse lies.鈥�
