President Donald Trump called CNN correspondent Jim Acosta “a rude and terrible person” on Wednesday when the reporter continued to press and interrupt the president about his characterization of the migrant caravan is an invasion.
“That’s enough, put down the mic,” Trump said at a news conference.
“CNN should be ashamed of themselves [for] having you work for them. You are a rude and terrible people and you shouldn’t be working for CNN. You are a very rude person … The way you treat Sarah Huckabee Sanders is horrible and the way you treat other people … you shouldn’t treat people that way.”
Related: Hill Immigration Republicans Wary of Approaching Migrant Caravan
Acosta had asked about the migrant caravan and the president’s use of images of it during the midterm election campaign — and he interrupted the president several times when Trump tried to give an answer.
Trump maintained his view that the migrants do, in fact, represent an invasion of this country and left their disagreement of the group of illegal immigrants making their way here as being a difference of opinion.
Acosta pushed even as the president tried to move onto another NBC News journalist, Peter Alexander, for a question.
Alexander defended Acosta as a “diligent reporter” when he finally had the chance to ask a question.
Trump responded by saying he didn’t like Alexander all that much either. But before Alexander even got the chance to ask a question, Acosta stood back up and started interrupting again.
The migrant caravan has steadily grown to several thousand people as it has proceeded toward the border from Honduras. Trump has mobilized the military to support National Guard and Border Patrol agents already on the border.
He has also threatened to cut aid to the countries that let the migrants pass through.
Related: Here’s What Can Happen When the Caravan Reaches Our Border
The migrants still have a long trip ahead before they actually reach the United States, but they have declared their intentions of entering the country. The issue moved to the forefront of the midterm elections with the approaching hordes challenging the stricter approach to immigration laws the president has pursued.
Trump has been challenged on his power to restrict immigration throughout his presidency — and the caravan is no different.
Federal immigration laws allow the president to suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens. But some critics claim he is beholden to international agreements to process credible asylum claims.
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