CNN reporter Jim Acosta needled President Trump on Friday as he delivered his first in-person remarks on Thursday’s deadly shooting at The Capital Gazette newspaper in Maryland that left five dead and others injured.
Trump, speaking at an event commemorating the six-month mark of the Republican’s tax law, said the newsroom shooting “shocked the conscience of our nation.”
{mosads}“This attack shocked the conscience of our nation and filled our hearts with grief,” Trump said. “Journalists, like all Americans, should be free from the fear of being violently attacked while doing their job.”
Trump said his administration “will not rest until we have done everything in our power to reduce violent crime and to protect innocent life.”
Trump was met with criticism following his remarks for his frequent targeting of the press and comments he has made calling reporters the “enemy of the people.”
“Mr. President, will you stop calling the press the enemy of the people?” Acosta, a frequent target of the president, shouted at Trump.
The CNN reporter also shared a tweet about the incident shortly after the event, in which he stated the president neglected to respond to him.
“I tried to ask the president if he would stop calling us the enemy of the people,” Acosta said in the tweet. “He did not respond.”
Trump and his supporters have targeted Acosta repeatedly, most recently chanting “Go home, Jim!” at the CNN reporter during a Trump rally in South Carolina on Monday. Multiple reporters said a woman verbally attacked Acosta, who was standing in the press area.
Acosta was promoted to chief White House correspondent by CNN in January.