CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta told Variety magazine that many people don't realize President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE's attacks on the press are "an act" in an interview published Tuesday, adding that people who "don't have all their faculties in some cases" could be inspired by the criticism to commit violence against journalists.

"The problem is that people around the country don’t know it’s an act,” Acosta said. “They’re not in on the act, and they take what he says very seriously, and they take attacks from [former White House press secretary]and [press secretary] Sarah [Huckabee] Sanders and what they do to us on a daily basis very seriously."

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Acosta added that attacks on the press could inspire violence against reporters. In January, a Michigan man was arrested for allegedly threatening to go on a murder spree at CNN's Atlanta headquarters."They don’t have all their faculties in some cases. Their elevator might not hit all floors. My concern is that a journalist is going to be hurt one of these days," Acosta said.Acosta was promoted from senior White House correspondent to chief White House correspondent earlier this year. The 47-year-old has covered presidential administrations for CNN since 2013.Acosta and Sanders have heated exchanges on an almost-daily basis during the White House press briefings.“We have to ask the leader of the free world, or the representatives of the free world, what the hell is going on. … I want all of that on TV … their evasions, their lies, their falsehoods," Acosta said.Trump once famously sparred directly with the correspondent shortly before taking office at a press conference in New York on Jan. 11, 2017, with Trump referring to CNN and Acosta as "fake news" while pointing at the reporter as he repeatedly attempted to ask a question.