US President Donald Trump short visit to India, on February 24-25, provided much fodder for headlines, including what he ate, the clothes his wife wore and those hugs with the Prime Minister of the nation, Narendra Modi.
But what’s gone viral even as his short stay comes to an end is the ‘battle of wits’ he had going with a CNN reporter in the Indian capital New Delhi during a press talk on Tuesday.
During his exchange with his the CNN's chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, Trump was asked if he would pledge to reject foreign interference in the upcoming presidential election.
His response was typically sharp. Trump retorted: “First of all, I want no help from any country, and I haven’t been given help from any country,” Trump replied. "And if you see what CNN, your wonderful network, said, I guess they apologized in a way for — didn’t they apologize for the fact that they said certain things that weren’t true? Tell me, what was their apology yesterday? What did they say?”
The president was referring to a report CNN published saying Russia was actively helping Trump’s redoubled reelection effort. Later, the news outlet was one of many who retracted that line of thought.
Acosta was not to be deterred on Tuesday, however; he snapped back: “Mr. President, I think our record on delivering the truth is a lot better than yours sometimes.”
This isn’t the first time the two have locked horns. Back in 2018, Acosta’s press pass to the White House was revoked when he indulged in a heated exchange with Trump.
