Trump bars Acosta's CNN at the White House

In the aftermath of the significant losses suffered by Mr. Trump's party in Tuesday's midterm elections, this action showed other journalists that the president was willing to do what his predecessors did not do. practically never done: the blacklist of a mainstream reporter at the White House.

Late Wednesday, CNN denounced the decision. "This was done in retaliation for his difficult questions at the press conference today," the network said in a statement. In an explanation, Sarah Sanders, press officer, lied. She provided fraudulent charges and cited an incident that never happened. This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better. "

A review of the video of the press conference did not suggest that Mr. Acosta got his hands on the woman. A reporter present said that the story of the White House was not truthful.

"I was sitting next to @Acosta at today's press conference and I did not see him" putting his hands "on the young intern, as the White House claims," ​​Jeff Mason, correspondent from Reuters to the White House, wrote on Twitter. "He held the microphone while she was looking for him."

Other news agencies have expressed concern that the decision will set a precedent.

"The president should not choose who covers him, and he certainly should not exclude a representative from one of the country's leading news agencies, an entity on which tens of millions of Americans count", said Elisabeth Bumiller, of Washington. Office Manager for the New York Times.

Olivier Knox, president of the White House Correspondents Association, urged the White House to reverse its decision.

"The White House Correspondents' Association strongly opposes the Trump administration's decision to use US secret service security credentials as a means of punishing a journalist with whom she has a difficult relationship," she said. he declared. "Revoking access to the White House complex is an irrelevant reaction to the alleged crime and is unacceptable."

The American Civil Liberties Union also participated. "It is unacceptable and anti-American for the president to expel a journalist for acting aggressively," the organization said in a statement. "The White House should cancel this decision immediately."