White House press briefing goes off the rails as CNN's Jim Acosta battles with Sarah Huckabee Sanders over whether the media is 'enemy of the people'
- White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to answer a question from CNN's Jim Acosta about whether she considered the press to be the "enemy" of the American people, as President Donald Trump has stated in the past.
- Sanders would not provide a specific answer on this question and instead bashed the press for its approach to various issues.
- Sanders also accused Acosta, who was recently heckled at a Trump rally, of "lowering the level of conversation in the country."
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday declined to answer a question from CNN's Jim Acosta about whether she considered the press to be the "enemy" of the American people, as President Donald Trump has stated in the past.
Sanders would not provide a specific answer to this question and instead bashed the press for its approach to various issues, including over how she was treated by comedian Michelle Wolf at this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Sanders said the White House Correspondents' Association "brought a comedian up to attack my appearance."
Sanders also accused Acosta, who was recently heckled at a Trump rally, of "lowering the level of conversation in the country."
This is the second day in a row in which Sanders has lambasted the media. On Wednesday, Sanders accused the press of putting lives in danger by reporting on classified intelligence, citing an urban myth regarding coverage of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden from roughly 20 years ago.
The White House press secretary has continuously stood by the president in terms of his controversial rhetoric and demeanor toward the media.
Trump has repeatedly referred to the press as the "enemy of the American people" and "FAKE NEWS." The president has often singled out individual reporters at his rallies or directed more general negative remarks at members of the media covering his events.
Earlier on Thursday, Ivanka Trump, the eldest daughter of Trump and assistant to the president, broke with her father and said she did not believe the press is the "enemy."