CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta says his frequent confrontations with the White House make him "uncomfortable" but nothing will stop him from doing his "damn job."
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Acosta said, "Not everybody is comfortable taking this guy on," referring to President Donald Trump. "It’s uncomfortable. It makes me uncomfortable."
Acosta has earned a reputation as one of the Trump administration's chief antagonists in the press due to his sharp exchanges with White House press secretaries Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, acidic tweets, complaints about CNN not getting enough questions, and criticisms of Trump, particularly over the president's inflammatory remarks about the media.
Trump has personally gone after Acosta several times, calling him "fake news."
"There are days when you can’t be the shrinking violet," Acosta said. "I’m going to do my damn job."
Acosta said he has received "more threats than I could count" from trolling Trump supporters, and CNN has urged him to take certain precautions for his safety. He told The Daily Beast, however, that most of the feedback he gets is positive.
"There are a lot of people who feel deep down that what the president is doing, and what the White House is doing, is deeply wrong in terms of attacking the press," he said.
He also revealed he didn't think Trump would beat Hillary Clinton, saying the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape of Trump boasting about groping women appeared to be a "fatal blow."