UPDATE, 6:25 p.m. Eastern: Acosta returned for another live shot in The Situation Room’s 6:00 p.m. Eastern hour and, even though the rally had started and thus crowds were no longer heckling him, the pompous CNNer again acknowledged their chants from earlier in trying to make viewers feel bad for him.
“And, Wolf, we should point out, over the last hour or so, this crowd has been very rowdy. Coming after us, telling us to go home, but Wolf, we're not going home. We're going to stay right here at the rally and do the news, report on his rally coming up tonight. Wolf,” Acosta so bravely proclaimed (at least for those at CNN).
Like a proud parent, Blitzer replied “good for you” for doing “exactly what you're supposed to be doing in a country that appreciates a free press.”
Ah, indirectly attacking people who disagree with is definitely not the way to win people over.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ahead of President Trump’s Tuesday night rally in Tampa, Florida, CNN’s chief carnival barker and showboater Jim Acosta was heckled yet again by the arena of Trump supporters, chanting “CNN sucks.” Of course, Acosta chose not to ignore them and asserted that it’s “false” that the Jeffery Zucker-led network “sucks.” Okay, Jim.
Acosta began his 5:05 p.m. Eastern live shot on The Situation Room concerning the Manafort trial and a new legal argument by Trump and his legal team with a smattering of boos but nothing that was negligible.
Three minutes later when the taped portion of his report ended, Acosta came back live with an even larger crowd shouting “CNN sucks” as he bemoaned the lack of White House press briefings as there were “only three briefings for the press this month and eight total since the end of May.”
“There is no other way to describe what the White House is doing these days, Wolf, top officials including the President are hiding from the press,” Acosta continued. He should have stopped there, but the self-centered liberal journalist couldn’t help but offer proverbial return fire in the direction of the crowd.
Here’s Acosta in all his glory (or something):
Wolf, just to give you a sense as to what’s happening right now, you can hear there is a chorus of boos and other chants from this Trump crowd here in Tampa, Florida. They are saying things like “CNN sucks,” “go home,” and “fake news.” Wolf, obviously all those things are false. We're staying right here, we’re going to do our job and report on this rally to all of our viewers here tonight. Wolf.
So glad you cleared that up for us, Jim.
Anyway, Host Wolf Blitzer replied that Acosta should soldier on “as you should” and promised to “stay in very close touch with you.”
It was a similar scene on June 25 when Acosta was at a Trump rally in South Carolina when rally attendees mocked him as “fake news Jim” and telling him to “go home, Jim” while one attendee walked from one side to the other with a “CNN sucks” sign in tow.
To see the relevant transcript from CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer on July 31, click “expand.”
CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
July 31, 2018
5:05 p.m. Eastern
WOLF BLITZER: With the Mueller investigation's first trial now under way, President Trump and his lawyers seem to be cooking up a new defense slogan of their own. The President will hold, by the way, a campaign rally shortly in Tampa, Florida. Let's go there. Our chief White Hose correspondent Jim Acosta is already on the scene for us. So Jim, what is the latest?
[CROWD BOOING]
JIM ACOSTA: Wolf, President Trump is in Florida tonight to do some campaigning ahead of the midterm elections, but the President and his team are still busy trying to get their story straight on the Russia investigation. Mr. Trump is now echoing his lawyers who have gone from saying there was no collusion during the 2016 election to insisting that collusion is not a crime after all.
(....)
5:08 p.m. Eastern
[CROWD CHANTING “CNN SUCKS”]
ACOSTA: Now, the White House closed out the month of July without holding a briefing to reporters, so that means the White House held only three briefings for the press this month and eight total since the end of May. There is no other way to describe what the White House is doing these days, Wolf, top officials including the President are hiding from the press and, Wolf, just to give you a sense as to what’s happening right now, you can hear there is a chorus of boos and other chants from this Trump crowd here in Tampa, Florida. They are saying things like “CNN sucks,” “go home,” and “fake news.” Wolf, obviously all those things are false. We're staying right here, we’re going to do our job and report on this rally to all of our viewers here tonight. Wolf.
BLITZER: As you should. Alright, Jim Acosta, we’ll stay in very close touch with you, thank you.
(.....)
6:10 p.m. Eastern
ACOSTA: And the White House closed out the month of July without holding a briefing for reporters today. That means the white house has held only three briefings for the press this month and eight total since the end of may. There is no other way to describe what the white house is doing right now, Wolf, the White House from the President on down, they're hiding from the press. And, Wolf, we should point out, over the last hour or so, this crowd has been very rowdy. Coming after us, telling us to go home, but Wolf, we're not going home. We're going to stay right here at the rally and do the news, report on his rally coming up tonight. Wolf.
BLITZER: Good for you. Thanks very much. That's exactly what you're supposed to be doing in a country that appreciates a free press. Jim Acosta on the scene for us in Tampa.
