As he departed the White House this morning, President Trump took a few questions from the press corps, one of whom asked about CNN’s Jim Acosta who had his press credential revoked Wednesday morning. The reporter asked the president how long he intended on keeping Acosta “in the penalty box.”
“As far as I’m concerned, I haven’t made that decision,” Trump said, adding, “I think Jim Acosta is a very unprofessional man. He does this with everybody. He gets paid to do that.
I don’t think he’s a smart person, but he’s got a loud voice,” Trump said before targeting another White House reporter April Ryan. “Talk about somebody who’s a loser. She doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing. She gets publicity and gets a contract with, I think, CNN. But she’s very nasty and she shouldn’t be. You’ve got to treat the White House and the office of the presidency with respect,” said Trump.
Soon after Ryan, who is a CNN contributor, responded on Twitter.
I love this country and have the most respect for the Office of the President. I will continue to ask the questions that affect America, all of America.
— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) November 9, 2018
Here’s Trump’s remarks:
Amid a week of combative exchanges with reporters Jim Acosta, April Ryan and others, Pres. Trump says, "You have to treat the White House with respect. You have to treat the presidency with respect." https://t.co/yhJ3QFg9C3 pic.twitter.com/DWXlFpbgMz
— ABC News (@ABC) November 9, 2018