Jim Acosta, CNN’s self-appointed “resistance” warrior against President Trump during his first term, is reportedly ready to throw in the towel after facing a humiliating demotion at the struggling network. Acosta’s once-glorious 10 a.m. weekday show, CNN Newsroom, has been axed after just 17 months on air, leaving him with the dismal prospect of a midnight-to-2 a.m. slot—a career death sentence in the world of cable news.
According to The Daily Mail, Acosta is fuming over the shake-up orchestrated by CNN CEO Mark Thompson, who appears to be steering the network in a new direction as Trump returns to the White House. Rather than settle for irrelevance in the cable news equivalent of Siberia, Acosta is said to be seriously considering walking away from the network entirely.
In his place, CNN will hand the 10 a.m. slot over to Pamela Brown and longtime anchor Wolf Blitzer, who himself is being quietly pushed aside as Thompson seeks to rid CNN of its aging anti-Trump attack dogs. The move is widely seen as an effort to mend fences with the Trump administration, with insiders suggesting Thompson is keen to avoid the kind of relentless antagonism that made CNN a punching bag during Trump’s first term.
Acosta’s downfall isn’t just about ratings—it’s about relationships. Trump’s return to power has clearly sent shockwaves through CNN’s leadership, and Thompson is reportedly wary of maintaining the same combative approach that saw Acosta’s White House press pass revoked in 2018. Sources inside the network say Thompson is adamant about avoiding “pre-judging” Trump based on past disputes, warning on-air talent to approach coverage more carefully this time around.
Adding salt to the wound, Acosta’s new midnight assignment will require him to relocate to CNN’s Los Angeles bureau, pulling him away from the Washington, D.C. political scene he’s called home for years.
Of course, this isn’t sitting well with the man who once prided himself on his live TV clashes with Trump. Who could forget the legendary exchanges where Trump called Acosta “a disgrace” and “fake news,” while Acosta smugly claimed CNN’s “record on delivering the truth” was better than Trump’s—a claim that aged about as well as CNN’s ratings.
As CNN attempts to shift gears and salvage its reputation under Trump 2.0, it looks like Acosta may be the latest casualty of an overdue reckoning. Time will tell if he packs his bags.
Leave a Comment