Jim Acosta: Trump's 'enemy of the people' rhetoric creates climate in which 'journalists can get murdered'

CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta said President Donald Trump's "enemy of the people" rhetoric directed toward certain media outlets and reporters creates a climate in which "journalists can get murdered," The Guardian reported.

Speaking at an event Thursday at the Oxford Union in the United Kingdom, Acosta — who's made a name for himself through his often excessive questioning of Trump, who bestowed the infamous "fake news" upon Acosta and CNN — said things are getting scary for reporters.

'This is a dangerous time to tell the truth in America'

"Perhaps they won't stop calling us the enemy of the people because it works so well with their people, but all of this adds up to one painful reality: This is a dangerous time to tell the truth in America," Acosta said, The Guardian reported, adding that those who run with that rhetoric create "an atmosphere where people can get hurt, where journalists can get murdered."

Acosta's White House media credentials were revoked last year after an altercation in which he interrupted and argued with Trump during a media briefing, but they were reinstated after CNN filed a lawsuit. The White House also claimed Acosta assaulted an intern who was trying to take a microphone away from him.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

"The vast majority of people could plainly see the only thing that was under assault that day was the truth," Acosta said, The Guardian noted.

He calls Fox News a 'beast of many heads'

Acosta also called Fox News a "beast of many heads," the outlet said. He noted that while journalists on the conservative-leaning cable news network defended him when his media credentials were revoked, there are "forces on that network that act as propagandist for Trump," The Guardian reported.

Fox News anchor Dana Perino at the time said Acosta's colleagues were frustrated with his spotlight-grabbing antics because they frustrated journalists' efforts to do their jobs.

Acosta appears to compare Trump to a playground bully

When asked if his questioning style with Trump is too aggressive, Acosta replied that it's expected that reporters will use that tactic, the outlet said.

"Are we supposed to roll over? Are we supposed to take it?" Acosta replied, according to the Guardian. "Some colleagues say to just take it, but I'm still thinking about the folks at home, thinking about my own kids, are we supposed to let the bully beat us up at the playground every day?"