White House argues with CNN reporter about meaning of Statue of Liberty

The White House press briefing descended into arguments on the President's latest policy proposal

Presidential adviser Steve Miller and CNN reporter Jim Acosta argue in a White House press briefing White House

Capping off weeks of tumult in Washington, the White House Press briefing recently descended into a heated argument between reporters and the administration about the Statue of Liberty.

Senior presidential advisor Stephen Miller stopped by the press briefing to promote an immigration bill that Donald Trump has recently thrown his weight behind. The bill would implement a “merit-based” policy for doling out US visas, prioritising those applicants who are financially independent and able to speak English.

Mr Miller – a central author of Mr Trump’s travel ban on six Muslim majority countries – described this latest policy as “compassionate” and "common-sense".

Some reporters, however, seemed to disagree.

“The Statue of Liberty says, ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free’,” said CNN’s Jim Acosta, referring to the poem inscribed under the iconic American statue. “It doesn't say anything about speaking English.”

Mr Miller countered by saying that the poem was “not actually part of the original Statue of Liberty”.

“The poem that you’re referring to was added later,” he told Mr Acosta.

The exchange set off a fierce debate over the meaning of the Statue of Liberty, and the intentions of American immigration policy as a whole. At one point, Mr Acosta appeared to insinuate that Mr Trump’s immigration policy was racist.

“This whole notion of, ‘Well, they have to learn English before they get to the United States’ - Are we just going to bring in people from Great Britain and Australia?” he asked. “...It just sounds like you’re trying to engineer the racial and ethnic flow of people into this country with this policy.”

Mr Miller called the comments “outrageous, insulting, ignorant and foolish,” and accused Mr Acosta of ascribing nefarious motives to a “compassionate” bill.

“I am shocked at your statement that you think that only people from Great Britain and Australia would know English,” he said. “It reveals your cosmopolitan bias to a shocking degree.”