Kellyanne Conway called CNN’s Jim Acosta a “smart-ass” trying to provoke a viral moment Tuesday — and quickly went viral. The latest tiff between Acosta and the Trump White House came when he asked Conway if she could guarantee Trump would tell the truth during his remarks on immigration Tuesday. “Yes, Jim, and can you promise that you will?” she replied. “The whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God? Am I allowed to mention God to you?” Also Read: Jim Acosta's Press Credentials Restored by White House; CNN Drops Lawsuit “I’m not the one who has the alternative facts problem like you do,” Acosta replied. “You know that’s a cheap — make sure that goes viral,” Conway said, before telling him that such comments were one reason most people in the administration wouldn’t talk to him. Much talking over each other followed. You can watch the video above. The moment did go viral. CNN headlined it, “Jim Acosta presses Conway: Will Trump tell the truth?” Or, as Fox News put it: “Kellyanne Conway embarrasses CNN’s Jim Acosta during heated exchange: ‘You’re such a smarta–‘” Conway went on to tell Acosta that many of his colleagues don’t like him, and noted that CNN has made factual errors. (The Washington Post, meanwhile, says Trump has made 7,600 false or misleading statements during his presidency.) Also Read: Lou Dobbs Wishes Trump Could Have Just Ignored Court Order Restoring Jim Acosta's Press Credentials The animosity between the Trump White House and Acosta is well known. Last year CNN went to court to get Acosta his White House press pass back after an incident in which Acosta challenged Trump’s false claim that an invasion was coming to the U.S. border, Trump called Acosta a “terrible person,” and the White House released doctored footage sped up to make it appear that Acosta had struck an intern trying to take away his mic. Yes, all of these things actually happened. The spat between Acosta and Conway occurred almost three weeks into a government shutdown over Trump’s insistence on funding for a border wall. The shutdown has led to airport security concerns and some prison guards commuting more than 400 miles, among other inconveniences. Trump was scheduled to speak Tuesday night.<doc-sep>CNN’s Jim Acosta and the White House are at it again. Ahead of President Trump’s televised speech on border security Tuesday, Acosta asked Kellyanne Conway if she’d guarantee he’d tell the truth. A fair question, sure, but Acosta, who had his press pass revoked (and reinstated), has a knack for irking this administration. This time was no different, as you can see from Conway’s response, which blew up overnight, just as she suspected:<doc-sep>Acosta asked Conway on the North Lawn driveway whether she could “promise the president will tell the truth tonight” during a primetime address on his demands for a border wall. “Yes, Jim. And will you promise that you will?“ Conway asked in response. ADVERTISEMENT “I will, absolutely. I’m not the one with the alternative-facts problem like you do,” Acosta replied, referencing a quote from Conway from 2017 When Acosta challenged Conway again about whether Trump's speech could pass a fact check, the White House aide replied, “let me go back to your case because you’re such a smartass most of the time and I know you want this to go viral.” She then defended her response to the White House's use of a misleading claim that 4,000 known or suspected terrorists were caught last year trying to cross the border to argue for a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Only 12 of those were caught at the southern border between October 2017 and 2018, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. “I explained it many times. And don’t you put it back in my face for all the corrections your that network has issued,” she said.<doc-sep>CNN was uncharacteristically tame in the network’s immediate fact-checking and analysis of President Trump’s Oval Office address on Tuesday, until the network’s White House correspondent Jim Acosta got involved. Acosta, who was scolded by Kellyanne Conway earlier in the day, appeared after a subdued panel discussion led by Chris Cuomo and kicked things off with an out-of-place joke. “That address probably should have come with a surgeon general’s warning, it was hazardous to the truth,” Acosta said, prompting an uncomfortable smirk from Cuomo. “There were a number of claims that the president made in that speech that are just not going to the facts,” he continued. One of them being, this thing that he said over and over again that the new trade deal with Mexico is going to somehow pay for the wall.” Acosta then noted that he'd expected the address to be “recycled rhetoric.” “That’s pretty much what we got,” Acosta declared, noting that Trump has been describing immigrants as “criminals and killers and so on” since he first declared his political aspirations. “Not much has changed in terms of the president’s rhetoric on this,” Acosta said, “He did say… Democrats asked for the steel barrier. … I just talked to a senior Democratic aide up on the Capitol Hill who said, ‘No, we as a party did not ask for a steel barrier.’” Cuomo, brother of the Democratic governor of New York, reminded Acosta that Democrats “have financed steel barriers” in the past. “It’s amazing how everyone is trying to forget the history here,” Cuomo said. CNN’S NINA TURNER MOCKS TRUMP: REPUBLICANS NEED TO ‘CHANGE THE PRESIDENT’S DIAPERS’ Acosta, who has emerged as a household name over occasions when Trump and members of his administration are made available to the press, asked Conway during a press gaggle prior to the briefing if Trump planned on telling the truth. "Yes, Jim," Conway shot back, "Can you promise that you will? The whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Am I allowed to mention 'God' to you?" Acosta responded by telling Conway that he doesn’t have an “alternative facts” problem like she does. "Make sure that goes viral. This is why I’m one of the only people around here who gives you the time of day," Conway said. "You’re such a smarta-- most of the time and I know you want this to go viral." Conway then told Acosta that “a lot of these people” don’t like him, while pointing to his peers and asked the reporter not to call her “ma’am.” Last year Acosta was briefly banned from the White House after he engaged in a contentious back-and-forth with Trump during a Nov. 7 press conference. During the now-infamous moment, Acosta refused to pass the microphone to a female White House aide. Acosta’s press pass was restored on Nov. 19 after CNN argued that keeping him out of the White House violated the network and Acosta’s First and Fifth Amendment rights.<doc-sep>
Kellyanne Conway embarrassed CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta during a press gaggle on Tuesday, referring to him as a "smarta--" unliked by other reporters. Acosta asked Conway if she could promise that President Trump would tell the truth when addressing the nation on Tuesday night. "Yes, Jim," Conway shot back, "Can you promise that you will? The whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Am I allowed to mention 'God' to you?" Acosta – who has emerged as a household name for interruptions when Trump and members of his administration are made available to the press – responded by telling Conway that he doesn’t have an “alternative facts” problem like she does. "Make sure that goes viral. This is why I’m one of the only people around here who gives you the time of day," Conway said. "You’re such a smarta-- most of the time and I know you want this to go viral." Conway then told Acosta that “a lot of these people” don’t like him, while pointing to his peers. “Don't you put it back in my face for all corrections your network needs to issue,” she continued, mocking CNN. “I was on your network 25 or 26 times in 2018. I’m one of the last people here who even bothered to go on, and the disrespect you show to me personally, I’ll look past it.” CNN STAR DON LEMON SAYS TRUMP ADDRESS SHOULD BE AIRED ON A DELAY Acosta replied, “Ma’am.” “Don't call me ma'am,” Conway responded. Last year Acosta was briefly banned from the White House after he engaged in a contentious back-and-forth with Trump during a Nov. 7 press conference. During the now-infamous moment, Acosta refused to pass the microphone to a female White House aide. Acosta’s press pass was restored on Nov. 19 after CNN argued that keeping him out of the White House violated the network and Acosta’s First and Fifth Amendment rights. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP To coincide with Acosta being allowed to return to the White House, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders implemented a series of rules to govern White House press conferences going forward. The CNN reporter has been praised by liberal comedians such as Jimmy Kimmel, and even appeared in the most recent season of the Netflix political drama “House of Cards.”