CNN’s Jim Acosta, an irritant to Trump, says he’s quitting rather than take a late-night time slot
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Winnipeg Free Press subscription for only
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*$1 will be added to your next bill. After your 4 weeks access is complete your rate will increase by $4.99 a X percent off the regular rate.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/01/2025 (234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
CNN anchor Jim Acosta, an irritant to President Donald Trump as a former White House correspondent, says he’s quitting the network rather than accept an offer for a new late-night time slot.
Acosta announced his departure Tuesday at the end of his one-hour morning show on the network, telling viewers: “Don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear.”
He didn’t specifically tie those sentiments to Trump, but the implication was clear. CNN says its decision to move Acosta out of the daylight and into a time slot to begin at midnight Eastern time had nothing to do with politics.
Less than a half hour before Acosta’s announcement, Trump posted on social media that rumors that the anchor was leaving were good news. “Jim is a major loser who will fail no matter where he ends up,” Trump said on Truth Social.
CNN announced last week — Trump’s first week back in office — that it was shuffling its daytime lineup to move Wolf Blitzer into Acosta’s 10 a.m. Eastern time slot, paired with Pamela Brown. The network said it had offered Acosta a job at midnight and would move him to Los Angeles, where his show would air at 9 p.m., and also simulcast the program on CNN International.
But Acosta, who has been at CNN for 18 years, said Tuesday he had turned that down.
Reflecting on his career
He said people often ask him if covering Trump’s first term as president was the highlight of his CNN career. Instead, he said it was the chance to cover former President Barack Obama’s trip to Cuba in 2016 and ask Cuban leader Raul Castro a question about political prisoners.
“As the son of a Cuban refugee, I took home the lesson (that) it is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant,” Acosta said. “I have always believed it’s the job of the press to hold power to account. I’ve always tried to do that at CNN and plan to go on doing it in the future.”
He said his final message was “don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear. Hold on to the truth. And to hope.”
CNN, in a statement, said “Jim has had a long, distinguished, nearly 20-year career at CNN, with a track record of standing up to authority, for the First Amendment and our journalistic freedoms. We want to thank him for the dedication and commitment he’s brought to his reporting and wish him the very best in in the future.”
Trump’s sour relationship with Acosta during his first term culminated with the White House briefly suspending Acosta’s press pass in 2018. Acosta had tried to continue questioning Trump after the president said “that’s enough!” at a news conference and an aide tried to take away Acosta’s microphone.
___
David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.socia l.