In another raucous White House press conference, self-aggrandizing liberal journalist Jim Acosta battled with Donald Trump over the President’s plan to declare a national emergency and fund a border wall. After Trump told Acosta he was “fake news” and that CNN “has an agenda,” an Angel Mom walked up to the reporter in the Rose Garden and told him about her murdered child.
Acosta offered a typically attention-grabbing question, demanding of Trump: “What do you say to your critics who say that you are creating a national emergency? That you are concocting a national emergency in order to get your wall? Because you couldn’t get it through other means.”
In a back and forth about stats on crimes by illegals, Trump hammered Acosta: “Your question is a very political question because you have an agenda. You are CNN. You are fake news. You have an agenda.”
In attendance at the press conference were Angel Moms who have lost loved ones to crimes by illegals. One of those moms is Agnes Gibboney. She walked up to Acosta after the press conference and the journalist attempted to show compassion for her.
You saw that moment when the press conference where the President pointed to some of these ladies here so they can say, “Yes, that he crimes that happened to our family members that those are real crimes.” We were just having a conversation right now. We were just having a conversation... I was telling them in terms of all of us here at CNN our hearts go out to them. There is no attempt to diminish what they have gone through or take away what they have gone through.
Acosta condescendingly explained to Gibboney: “When we hear the President talk about immigration, he tends to talk about it in ways that demonize immigrants and that just don't stick to the facts.” To his credit, the CNN journalist at least let her speak:
I'm a legal immigrant. My family came through the right channels and this is my only son, Ronald Da Silva, who was murdered by a previously deported illegal alien. We need to secure our borders to protect American citizens. President Trump is completely correct on this issue. We need to protect this country.
Trump also fought with CNN and Playboy journalist Brian Karem over crime stats. At first, Karem seemed to actually state that there is no violence at the border.
BRIAN KAREM: Thank you, Mr. President. Just to follow up on that, you defined crime reporting statistics. Numbers from border patrol, numbers from this government show that the amount of illegal immigrants are down. There is not violence on the border.
TRUMP: There isn’t violence at the border?
KAREM: There is not as much violence on the border.
Transcripts are below. Click “expand” to read more.
CNN live coverage
2/15/19
11:19DONALD TRUMP: Jim Acosta.
JIM ACOSTA: Thank you, Mr. President. I wonder if you could comment on this disconnect that we seem to have in this country where you are presenting information about what is happening at the border, calling it an invasion and yet there is a lot of reporting out there. There’s a lot of crime data out there. There is a lot of department of Homeland Security data that shows border crossings at a near record low.
TRUMP: That’s because of us.
ACOSTA: — shows undocumented immigrants committing crime at lower level than native born Americans. What do you say —
TRUMP: You don't really believe do you really believe that? Take a look at our --
ACOSTA: I believe in facts and statistics and video.
TRUMP: Let's go.
ACOSTA: What do you say to your critics who say that you are creating a national emergency? That you are concocting a national emergency in order to get your wall? Because you couldn’t get it through other means.
TRUMP: What do you think? Do you think I'm creating something? Ask these incredible women who lost their daughters and their sons. Okay? Because your question is a very political question because you have an agenda. You are CNN. You are fake news. You have an agenda. The numbers you gave are wrong. Take a look at our federal prison population. See how many of them percentage wise are illegal aliens. Just see. Go ahead and see. It's a fake question.
...
11:21
BRIAN KAREM: Thank you, Mr. President. Just to follow up on that, you defined crime reporting statistics. Numbers from border patrol, numbers from this government show that the amount of illegal immigrants are down. There is not violence on the border.
TRUMP: There isn’t violence at the border?
KAREM: There is not as much violence on the border. Let me finish the question.
TRUMP: Two weeks ago, 26 people were killed in a gun fight at the border a mile away from where I went.
KAREM: I was there. I understand. That’s not the question.
TRUMP: Do we forget about that?
KAREM: The question is — No. I’m not forgetting it. I'm asking you to clarify where you get your numbers because most of the DEA crime reporting statistics that we see show that drugs are coming across at the ports of entry, that illegal immigration is down and the violence is down. So, what do you base your facts on? And secondly —
TRUMP: You get one. Sit down. Sit down. Sit down. Sit down!
KAREM: Could you please answer —
TRUMP: You get one question. I get my numbers from a lot of sources like Homeland Security primarily. And the numbers I have from Homeland Security are a disaster. You know what else is a disaster? The numbers that come out of Homeland Security for the cost that we spend and the money that we lose because of illegal immigration. Billions and billions of dollars a month. And it’s unnecessary.
KAREM: So your own government stats are wrong?
TRUMP: No, no. I use many stats.
KAREM: Could you share those stats with us?
TRUMP: You have stats that are far worse than the ones I use. But I use many stats, but I also use Homeland Security. All right. Next question.
11:36
ACOSTA: I'm standing in front some of these of angel moms who came to the Rose Garden to testify to what they have been through in terms of their ordeals dealing with crime in this country and the undocumented immigrants that were responsible for the crimes that took away their loved ones. You saw that moment when the press conference where the President pointed to some of these ladies here so they can say, “Yes, that he crimes that happened to our family members that those are real crimes.” We were just having a conversation right now. We were just having a conversation, Kate, a I was telling them in terms of all of us here at CNN our hearts go out to them. There is no attempt to diminish what they have gone through or take away what they have gone through.
KATE BOLDUAN: Exactly.
ACOSTA: But as you heard in the question that I had with the president there it was really about the facts and the data and the disconnect that we have when we hear the President talk about immigration, he tends to talk about it in ways that demonize immigrants and that just don't stick to the facts. And so, I wanted to point it out that folks came up to me right after the press conference and they are holding up these pictures of these loved ones who lost their lives. Ma’am, you were telling me a few moments ago this happened to you as well.
AGNES GIBBONEY: Yes. I'm a legal immigrant. My family came through the right channels and t his is my only son, Ronald Da Silva, who was murdered by a previously deported illegal alien. We need to secure our borders to protect American citizens. President Trump is completely correct on this issue. We need to protect this country.
ACOSTA: Okay. Thank you very much for sharing your story.
