Jim Acosta Gets To Accuse The White House Of Being 'Fake News'

By Aliza Worthington — June 20, 2020

You have to wonder how long Jim Acosta has waited for the chance to ask this question at a White House Press briefing.

Trump has been calling CNN "fake news" for so long, it's white noise already. He accuses most respectable media of putting out fake news, actually, but CNN has always been the target of his particular ire, and that particular label. So, when Twitter slapped a label of "manipulated media" on one of Trump's tweets, because it featured a completely misleading and doctored video of two adorable toddlers hugging and chasing one another playfully, but labeled it "Terrified Todler [sic] Runs From Racist Baby," Acosta had his moment.

ACOSTA: Why is the president sharing fake videos on Twitter about two toddlers, who are obviously showing a lot of love for one another? It seems as though he's exploiting children to make some sort of crass political point. Now, why is he sharing fake video?

McENANY: He was making a point about CNN specifically. He was making the point that CNN has regularly taken him out of context. That in 2019, CNN misleadingly aired a clip from one viewpoint repeatedly to falsely accuse the Covington boys of being quote "students in MAGA gear harassing a Native American Elder." That's a harassing video about children that had really grave consequences for their future.

*NARRATOR VOICE* The description of the Covington boys was not misleading, nor were they falsely accused. They were recorded doing exactly what they were accused of doing, wearing MAGA gear while they did it.

Furthermore, the spot that Trump tweeted said nothing about Trump or CNN taking him out of context. It simply showed the toddler video in edited form, with a different, made-up, false, (and misspelled) chyron. So, this is when Acosta goes in for the kill.

ACOSTA: So, you're saying it's okay to exploit two toddlers hugging one another on a sidewalk, to make some sort of political point. As you know, the president has described the members of the press as fake news during the course of this administration. When you share fake videos like that, doesn't that make YOU fake news?

McENANY: I think the president was making a satirical point that was quite funny, if you go and actually watch the video.

In order to do satire, you have to be smart. So, right there, she's lying out her lying-ass face. And to do humor, you have to have the proper ratio of truth to absurdity. So, right THERE she is lying out her lying-ass face. We know there is nothing truthful or smart about anything Trump does. There is no room for that in Trump's actions because they're filled with meanness and revenge.

Acosta continues to push back quite gamely on McEnany's bullsh*t, but clearly, he'd already hit that nerve. And good for him. There is nothing faker than this president and the lackies who defend him.

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.