US President Donald Trump engaged in one of his most direct confrontations with a reporter, arguing with CNN's Jim Acosta at a news conference today and calling him rude.
Trump invited Acosta, a frequent foil, to ask him a question at the White House news conference, which followed his party's loss of control of the House of Representatives in yesterday's Midterm elections.
Acosta questioned him about his rhetoric on immigration during the campaign and his deployment of troops to the US border with Mexico purportedly to stop a so-called "caravan" of migrants. Trump's critics have called the deployment a political stunt.
The back and forth between Trump and Acosta quickly grew heated after the reporter asked why the President had "demonised" immigrants in a widely criticised ad rejected by networks. Trump told Acosta that he should "let me run the country" and Acosta "should run CNN".
When Acosta tried to ask further questions, Trump became angry, demanding that the reporter sit down and give up the microphone. Acosta refused. Trump backed away from his podium and briefly paced the stage.
