by Jim Acosta
I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout-out to our talented crew of photojournalists on this demanding beat: Khalil Abdallah, Peter Morris, Jay McMichael, Bill Alberter, Geoff Parker, Burke Buckhorn, Mark Walz, John Bodnar, David Jenkins, Tony Umrani, and Tim Garraty.
* * *
AS FOR THE WRITING OF THIS BOOK, I MUST TIP MY HAT TO THE passionate Lisa Sharkey at HarperCollins, who first approached me about this project, as well as my astute and tireless editor, Matt Harper. Matt’s guidance has been nothing short of brilliant throughout this endeavor. As always, I am grateful to Robert Barnett for his wise counsel and support.
There are many sources without whom I could not have covered this challenging and unorthodox administration. Of course, I cannot name them here, but they should know they are rarely far from my mind.
Finally, I wish nothing but the best to you, my fellow citizens, for taking the time to read this book, which is straight from the heart. God Bless America.
Photo Section
The empty picture frames in the hallway connecting the Upper and Lower Press areas of the West Wing on the evening of January 19, 2017. Photographs of the Obama family were removed to make way for pictures of Trump and his family.
The Trump campaign press corps during the early morning hours of Election Day 2016. Trump was not available to take a photo with his press corps, so the reporters covering his campaign brought out a cardboard cutout for the picture.
President-elect Trump, Mitt Romney, and incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus (with back to camera) having dinner at Jean-Georges inside the Trump International Hotel in New York City on November 29, 2016. Romney met with Trump for dinner to discuss the idea of becoming secretary of state.
This photograph was taken during a live report outside Trump Tower on the evening of November 9, 2016. My crew and I were surrounded by a large crowd of protesters who were demonstrating against the election of Donald Trump as president.
A photo from the North Lawn of the White House on the evening of Inauguration Day on January 20, 2017. Trump responded to a question from CNN as he made his way back to the reviewing stands to watch the Inaugural Parade.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer in the Briefing Room on January 21, 2017, when Spicer told reporters that President Trump had “the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe,” a claim later found to be false.
As the son of a Cuban immigrant, and knowing of my dad’s experiences, I have always thought of immigration as one of our most important issues. This is my dad and me when we visited Cuba in December 2016.
President Trump visiting the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in Newport News, Virginia, on March 2, 2017. Later in the day, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced his recusal in the Russia investigation.
The tweet from @realDonaldTrump when he referred to the news media as “the enemy of the American People” on February 17, 2017.
I met with Israeli CNN viewers in Jerusalem, Israel, on May 22, 2017.
I am among the group of reporters asking questions in the White House Briefing Room on June 28, 2017, after televised coverage of these news conferences was suspended by Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
Sean Spicer, as drawn by D.C. courtroom sketch artist Bill Hennessy, after televised coverage of press briefings was banned. (Courtesy of William J. Hennessy Jr./CourtroomArt.com)
At Trump Tower on August 15, 2017, the president answers questions about his response to white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
President Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un address the press at the summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018. With the president are White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, National Security Adviser John Bolton, Chief of Staff John Kelly, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
President Trump receives a FIFA World Cup soccer ball from Russian president Vladimir Putin at the summit in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018.
Here I join the press corps at a Trump rally.
Standing with Trump supporters at my back at a rally in Columbia, South Carolina, on June 25, 2018.
Posing with Trump supporters on the campaign trail for South Carolina governor Henry McMaster.
Being heckled at a Trump rally in Tampa, Florida, on July 31, 2018.
CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer and me in Buenos Aires, Argentina, during the G20 summit on December 1, 2018.
President Trump calling me a “rude, terrible person” and “the enemy of the people” at a White House news conference on November 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Giving my statement after my White House press credentials were restored by a federal judge on November 19, 2018.
About the Author
JIM ACOSTA is CNN’s chief White House correspondent, currently covering the Trump administration. He previously reported on the Obama administration from the White House and around the world. He regularly covers presidential press conferences, visits by heads of state, and issues impacting the executive branch of the federal government.
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Copyright
THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. Copyright © 2019 by Abilio James Acosta. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
All photographs courtesy of the author unless otherwise credited.
FIRST EDITION
Cover design by Milan Bozic
Cover photograph © AP Images / Andrew Harnik
Digital Edition JUNE 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-291614-3
Version 05162019
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-291612-9
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