Former President Trump's senior campaign adviser Corey Lewandowski and CNN anchor Jim Acosta had a tense exchange on Wednesday's broadcast that ended with the anchor saying, “You're not going to admit the truth.” There were also scenes of yelling.
Mr. Lewandowski joined Mr. Acosta following the vice presidential debate between Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minnesota).
During the debate, Walz asked Vance if he could admit that former President Trump lost the 2020 election. Vance dodged the question, saying he was “focused on the future.” “That’s a total non-answer,” Walz said to the camera.
Acosta asked Levandowski why it was “so difficult for the Trump campaign” to answer that question if Trump lost the race four years ago.
“Jim, I think it's pretty simple. The American people passed the 2020 election. They're focused on the election that's just under five weeks away,” Lewandowski responded. “And what we have now, and the opportunity to do now, is to talk about two different visions of America, and the vision that J.D. Vance laid out last night is the one that Tim Walz and Kamala Harris are talking about. It's a very different vision than what I want.”
Lewandowski went on to say that the country can either “retrospectively re-discuss” the 2020 election or move forward. Acosta interjected: “It's not a re-litigation…It's a simple question: Did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election?”
“Jim, why are we talking about 2020 now?” Are Americans concerned about the 2020 election or whether they can put food on the table? ” Lewandowski said.
Acosta said he feared it would happen this election cycle, as President Trump has repeatedly claimed there was fraud in 2020 and is “imposing” a similar challenge if he loses this election. He said he was thinking about it. The two sides have sparred over claims of election fraud in the 2020 election cycle, but Acosta has rejected the idea that there was widespread fraud.
“Why aren't you looking at 2024? I think that's my question,” Lewandowski said.
“Will Donald Trump respect the results of the 2024 election? Will he do such a thing?” Acosta Press.
Lewandowski dodged the question and asked another question at Acosta. “Did Hillary Clinton respect the results? Did the Democrats respect the results?”
The two sides talked for a while, but Lewandowski wanted to ignore “hypotheticals” and focus on policy, and Acosta insisted it was a “simple question.”
The two also discussed the fallout in Springfield, Ohio, after Vance and Trump spread false claims that immigrants were eating people's pets.
Acosta asked Levandowski to ensure that Haitian immigrants are not eating dogs or cats.
Lewandowski spouted statistics on immigration and declined to answer questions.
Mr. Lewandowski kept saying Vice President Harris' first name incorrectly, and Mr. Acosta repeatedly tried to correct him.
“What's this Kamala? Come a la Harris. Corey, you've been in this industry a long time and I think you're a mature adult, come a la Harris. Kamala. What's going on there? Acosta asked.
The two continued to argue on air until Acosta ended the interview.
