CNN reporter Jim Acosta responds to being banned from the White House

On Anderson Cooper 360, CNN‘s chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, addressed having his press pass revoked. Earlier on Wednesday, Acosta got into a confrontation with President Trump at a press conference when he asked Trump about referring to the migrant caravan traveling through Mexico as an “invasion.” At one point, a young woman briefly attempted to get the microphone from Acosta. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders later tweeted out a statement falsely accusing Acosta of touching the woman — a White House intern — and stating that his press pass would be revoked until further notice. But Acosta doesn’t think the revocation has anything to do with the incident.

“I do think, Anderson, that this is a test for all of us,” Acosta said. “I do think they are trying to shut us down to some extent inside the White House press corps, and to some extent I think they’re trying to send a message to our colleagues.”

A number of reporters who were in the room at the time came to Acosta’s defense and repudiated the White House’s version of events. Other than Sanders’s tweet, Acosta was given no warning that his credentials were being revoked, and he was turned away by the Secret Service when he arrived at the White House.

“It was a pretty surreal experience,” Acosta — who has covered the White House for five years — said of the situation. “I never thought in this country that I wouldn’t be able to go and cover the president of the United States simply because I was trying to ask a question.”

Anderson Cooper 360 airs weeknights at 8 on CNN.

Watch Sacha Baron Cohen stump for Trump as Borat on Election Day:

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

• Laura Ingraham tells Taylor Swift to ‘shake it off’ after candidate she endorsed loses

• ‘Fox & Friends’ interview with Trump fan upstaged by face-palming kid in the background

• Idris Elba being named ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ makes all right with the world

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.