Jim Acosta had strong advice for the White House press corps days after Trump banned the Associated Press from the Oval Office. Other media outlets should “take those cameras away” to teach “aspiring autocrat” Trump a “lesson,” he told MeidasTouch News Tuesday.
“I think he would say, okay, maybe I ought to rethink this idea of kicking the Associated Press out of there if I can’t have the cameras with me,” Acosta added.
The broadcast journalist also suggested the Associated Press explore taking legal action against the Trump administration following the president’s ban on the new service in the Oval Office. “I think that the AP should look at whether or not they should sue the administration,” Acosta said. “I think the AP needs to, you know, look at other options in terms of what can be done.”
Acosta didn’t stop there. “And I think the rest of the press corps needs to start giving some serious consideration to whether or not it’s worth, you know, sending everybody into the Oval Office, sending everybody on Air Force One, sending everybody into the briefing room,” he added.
And despite the fact that “some of my friends over there at the White House press corps” will be prompted to ask how they can cover Trump if they aren’t in briefings, Acosta said, “I understand that. It’s difficult if we’re not there.”
“But, you know, I do think for a moment, let the American people out there see this image of this aspiring autocrat in the Oval Office surrounded by just his propaganda outlets and right-wing hacks,” he continued. “I think that’s not a good look for him.”
The result could be that Trump, who “cares about having those cameras on him more than just about anything else in the world” could be starved for attention.
“If the press were to take those cameras away for a day or two, I think that there would be a lesson learned on his part,” Acosta added. “I think he would say, okay, maybe I ought to rethink this idea of kicking the Associated Press out of there if I can’t have the cameras with me.”
Though he clarified that he didn’t mean the press corps should do anything “drastic” like launch a boycott tomorrow, Acosta concluded, “I do think some serious consideration needs to be given to, you know, doing a bit more to stand up for our friends at the Associated Press because they’re such a valuable institution.”
Trump banned the Associated Press from the Oval Office Friday after it refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
“The Associated Press continues to ignore the lawful geographic name change of the Gulf of America. This decision is not just divisive, but it also exposes the Associated Press’ commitment to misinformation,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich shared on X on Friday. “While their right to irresponsible and dishonest reporting is protected by the First Amendment, it does not ensure their privilege of unfettered access to limited spaces, like the Oval Office and Air Force One.
“Going forward, that space will now be opened up to the many thousands of reporters who have been barred from covering these intimate areas of the administration,” Budowich added. “Associate Press journalists and photographers will retain their credentials to the White House complex.”
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