Media

Acosta Demands Sanders Denounce ‘Enemy Of The People’ Rhetoric

CNN

Amber Athey Podcast Columnist
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  • White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was pressed to denounce President Trump’s “enemy of the people” comment about the press.
  • CNN reporter Jim Acosta said that reporters “deserve that.”
  • Sanders responded by listing the ways that members of the media have been unfair to her and the Trump administration.

CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta demanded White House press secretary Sarah Sanders denounce the president’s “enemy of the people” rhetoric about the media.

Sanders responded by listing all of the ways that the media has attacked her during her time in the administration. She declined to say that press is not the “enemy of the people.”

WATCH:

“You read off a laundry list of your concerns about the press and what things you feel like are misreported but you did not say that the press is not the enemy of the people,” Acosta said during Thursday’s press briefing. “I think it would be a good thing if you were to say right here at this briefing that the press … are not the enemy of the people. I think we deserve that.”

Sanders called Acosta’s question “ironic” given the media’s aggressive rhetoric against her and the president, including MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace stating that she wants to wring Sanders’ neck. (RELATED: MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace Suggests Wringing Sarah Sanders’ Neck)

“I’m the first press secretary in the history of the United States that’s required Secret Service protection,” Sanders said angrily. “The media continues to ratchet up the verbal assault against the president and everyone in this administration and certainly we have a role to play. But the media has a role to play for the discourse in the country as well.”

Acosta apologized to Sanders for the various attacks, but again asked her to say the press is not the “enemy of the people.”

Sanders replied, “I appreciate your passion. I share it. I’ve addressed this question. I’ve addressed my personal feelings. I’m here to speak on behalf of the president. He’s made his comments clear.”

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