As RedState previously reported, the rumors about CNN and longtime “reporter” Jim Acosta being at odds over his future at the network were true, as he is officially out the door after refusing the dreaded midnight timeslot offered to him in early January by chief executive officer Mark Thompson.
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Acosta, who had been with the struggling media outlet for nearly two decades, became the face of the media “resistance” during President Donald Trump’s first term in office, frequently taking on the role of showman journalist in sparring with Trump during press conferences and yelling questions at his press secretaries during the daily briefings.
At one point, Acosta had his press pass briefly yanked after a troubling physical altercation with a Trump intern who was just doing her job during a presser, but he got it back soon after via a court order.
After Trump left office, however, and with mission seemingly accomplished, CNN switched his role and put him in the anchor’s chair instead of the White House briefing room, first with a weekend show and then eventually moving him to weekday mornings.
SEE ALSO: Are You Okay? CNN’s Jim Acosta Clearly Can’t Let Go of Trump, and People Have Thoughts
Seeing as though Tuesday was Acosta’s last day, he shared some final thoughts at the close of his final broadcast as a CNN anchor. As per the norm, it was full of the pompous grandstanding we’ve gotten used to over the years from Jim Acosta:
And I just wanted to end today’s show by thanking all of the wonderful people who work behind the scenes at this network. You may have seen some reports about me and the show. And after giving all of this some careful consideration and weighing an alternative time slot CNN offered me, I’ve decided to move on.
I am grateful to CNN for the nearly 18 years I’ve spent here doing the news. People often ask me if the highlight of my career at CNN was at the White House covering Donald Trump. Actually, no. That moment came here, when I covered former President Barack Obama’s trip to Cuba in 2016 and had the chance to question the dictator there, Raul Castro, about the island’s political prisoners.
As the son of a Cuban refugee, I took home this lesson: It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant. I have always believed it’s the job of the press to hold power to account. I’ve always tried to do that here at CNN, and I plan on going doing all of that in the future.
One final message: Don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give into the fear. Hold on to the truth and to hope. Even if you have to get out your phone, record that message. I will not give into the lies. I will not give into the fear. Post it on your social media so people can hear from you, too.
I’ll have more to say about my plans in the coming days. But until then, I want to thank all of you for tuning in. It has been an honor to be welcomed into your home for all these years. That’s the news. Reporting from Washington – I’m Jim Acosta.
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Watch:
#BREAKING: Jim Acosta makes it official, rage-quitting CNN after 18 years at the network, telling viewers to not “give into the lies” and “it is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant”….
“And I just wanted to end today’s show by thanking all of the wonderful people who work… pic.twitter.com/7Zlwrrbwwl
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 28, 2025
Jim Acosta, same as he ever was:
As we bid a fond farewell to Jim Acosta never forget that his X banner was once a picture of Jim Acosta under a picture of Jim Acosta below an even bigger picture of Jim Acosta. https://t.co/o1aITBube1
— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) January 28, 2025
And just hours after he signed off, Acosta announced he was starting a Substack, which he actually created on the 16th according to his first post.
Here is his video announcement from earlier Tuesday:
Hey guys! I’ve started something new. Go check it out! pic.twitter.com/28PIox1wtT
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) January 28, 2025
It never fails to amaze me how often Resistance™ journalists talk a big game about holding the powerful to account but when they have the chance to do that with Democrats, they rarely if ever do (which was the case with Jim Acosta and so many of his CNN co-horts during the Biden years). And their idea of holding Republicans to account is by way of judging them by leftist “standards” and political ideals, which – last I checked – is not what holding government officials accountable is actually about.
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In any event, buh-bye for now, Jim Acosta. But though you’re changing venues, we’ll continue reporting on your antics because just as it’s good to hold the feet of government officials to the fire, the same holds true of performative media figures such as yourself as well.
