After the G-20 summit as President Donald Trump took time to answer questions for the press, CNN reporter Jim Acosta asked Trump if he purposely ignored a question about the death of Jamal Khashoggi during the meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia because he might be afraid of offending the prince.
“No, not at all,” Trump replied. “I don’t really care about offending people, I sort of thought you’d know that.”
People present laughed, all knowing the dispute between CNN’s Acosta and President Trump.
G20 Press Conference @realDonaldTrump gives @acosta a shot when asked whether he pressed MBS on Khashoggi
Acosta – are you afraid of offending him on that subject?
Pres. Trump: Not at all. I don’t really care about offending people. I sort of thought you would know that
BAM! pic.twitter.com/3HGef1NkiF
— Jim Hanson (@Uncle_Jimbo) June 29, 2019
“By the way, congratulations, I understand your book, is it doing well?” Trump added.
“It’s doing very well Mr. President,” Acosta replied.
“Really?” Trump asked.
“I’ll get you an autographed copy,” Acosta continued.
“Good,” Trump replied. “Send it. I want to see it, send me a copy.”
Acosta’s book briefly made it to the New York Time’s top ten best sellers after its release on June 11. It is currently ranked number 1,583 on America’s biggest bookseller, Amazon.
Acosta did a “surprise” visit to a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Virginia as part of his book launch, but not many people showed up.
“Surprise signing at Arlington, Virginia Barnes & Noble!” Acosta posted on Twitter on June 12.
“Wow! The crowds!! Did you need security?” singer Mindy Robinson commented.
Surprise signing at Arlington, Virginia Barnes & Noble! pic.twitter.com/8UCrbfwsQ4
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 13, 2019
Another Twitter user commented, “We care about as much as this guy,” with a cropped image of a man reading a book in another section.
We care probably about as much as this guy. pic.twitter.com/OkR5dGOnpd
— CJ Duckworth (@cjduckworth_usa) June 13, 2019
Another user commented “@Acosta — you showing up at a bookstore to sign books that haven’t been purchased yet isn’t considered a book signing. A book signing is when people purchase a book and wait in line to have the author to sign it. Nobody is buying your book, are they?”
@Acosta — you showing up at a bookstore to sign books that haven’t been purchased yet isn’t considered a book signing. A book signing is when people purchase a book and wait in line to have the author to sign it. Nobody is buying your book, are they?
— Dave Mullen (@dmullen37) June 13, 2019
Acosta admitted in his book, ‘A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America,’ that he is guilty of “grandstanding” and “showboating” while reporting on the Trump administration, noting that he “opts for the bait” when asking questions during Trump press conferences.
“Neutrality for the sake of neutrality doesn’t really serve us in the age of Trump,” he wrote.
(Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Last month, a CNN employee told Fox News that Acosta is more of an activist than a reporter.
“Jim Acosta is, a lot of times, asking the right questions but it doesn’t always need to be about him and his grandstanding,” the CNN staffer said. “People get tired of it. Acosta is supposed to be a correspondent reporting the facts but you can’t tell the difference between him and a paid pundit.”
Meanwhile, another reporter, who covers the White House for a news organization, told Fox News that Acosta’s actions have been impacting other people.
“I support reporters—even irredeemably biased ones—having access to the White House,” the reporter said. “But Acosta should consider how his behavior affects the rest of the press corps, who are there to be taken seriously and report the news rather than to boost their own celebrity.”
The NTD reporter Tiffany Meier contributed to this report
