CNN’s Jim Acosta lashed out at President Donald Trump on Thursday after the president responded in kind to a letter that he received from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“President Donald Trump penned a letter to Democrat Nancy Pelosi on Thursday, informing the House Speaker that he has temporarily canceled her ‘public relations’ trips abroad due to the government shutdown,” The Daily Wire reported. “The president did, however, tell Pelosi that she could fly to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan commercial if she so chooses.”
Following the announcement, NewsBusters’ Curtis Houck flagged a segment on CNN where Acosta went off on the president for essentially doing to Pelosi what she did to him regarding his State of the Union speech.
“Well, our nation’s capital has officially become a playground, Brooke,” Acosta complained. “The President has responded in sort of a childish way is the only way to describe it to the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to her letter essentially saying that the State of the Union will be postponed or she asked that it be submitted in writing if the government is still shut down.”
“A WH official has told the WH pool that Trump’s move is ‘not a response’ to Pelosi,” Acosta later tweeted. “Fact check: Yeah right.”
WATCH:
“We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the shutdown is over,” Trump wrote. “I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the shutdown.”
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in an email: “If she had gone on this trip, she would have guaranteed that 800,000 federal workers would not receive their second paycheck because she would not have been here to negotiate any kind of deal.”
The Washington Examiner’s Byron York noted how the media’s coverage of Trump’s actions was vastly different than what they said when Pelosi essentially did the same thing.
“Much analysis of Trump letter to Pelosi as childish, playground, nah-nah gesture,” York tweeted. “No argument here. Just yesterday, though, Pelosi’s equally childish gesture was characterized as playing hardball.”
The White House released Trump’s letter to Pelosi on its website:
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515Dear Madame Speaker:
Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over. In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate. I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the Shutdown. Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative.
I look forward to seeing you soon and even more forward to watching our open and dangerous Southern Border finally receive the attention, funding, and security it so desperately deserves!
Sincerely,
Donald J. Trump