Jim Acosta mocks Trump supporters, claims only 'half the country still wants to hear the truth'
WASHINGTON, DC: Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta is making waves again, this time for taking a direct jab at Donald Trump's supporters.
In a conversation with The Washingtonian following his departure from CNN and the launch of his new Substack show, Acosta emphasized the importance of holding Trump accountable during his second term.
He stressed that news organizations need to double down on fact-checking and push back more aggressively this time around, reports the New York Post.
Jim Acosta slams Donald Trump supporters
“I think it does make a difference,” Jim Acosta said. “Half the country still wants to hear the truth.”
He added, “When I go talk to college students, I used to say, ‘Don’t go into this business. You’re going to lose your weekends and your holidays, and your mother’s going to say, 'You don’t call me anymore.’ And now I tell them, ‘Please come into this business, because we need reinforcements.'”
Acosta never really masked how he felt about Trump during his time at CNN — his critiques were direct, and he made it clear where he stood.
During his time as a White House correspondent, Acosta became known for his heated back-and-forths with Trump and his press team. He didn’t shy away from injecting personal perspective into his coverage either.
Acosta was moved off the White House beat when Joe Biden took office and later turned down a late-night CNN anchor role before leaving the network entirely in January.
During a recent media roundtable with other liberal voices like Don Lemon, Acosta also criticized the performative nature of Trump’s administration.
“We have to teach Americans, teach people to be more media-literate. What Donald Trump does is a show,” Lemon said. “Every single day you have to realize from morning until the end, ’til midnight, it’s a show that is produced like a television show. Every single day.”
Acosta responded, “A pretty sh**ty one, but yes,” drawing laughs from the crowd.
Jim Acosta’s criticism of Donald Trump's supporters sparks heated online debate
Jim Acosta lit a match with fiery remarks aimed at President Donald Trump’s base, prompting a wave of reactions online from both supporters and critics.
One user wrote, “100% of the country cares about the truth. Less than half are willing to allocate the necessary cognitive resources to identify it, and of those, probably half do not have the necessary cognitive resources.”
Another fired back in defense of Trump supporters, “The half of the country that cares about the truth are the Trump supporters.”
Others weren’t shy about questioning Acosta’s credibility, with one writing, “The only thing Jim Acosta knows about the truth is that he covered it up for the last four years of the Biden administration.”
“After 4 years of ‘Biden is fine’ now he’s worried about the truth,” one wrote, while another added, “How can anyone respect him? He said nothing for the 4 years when Biden was in office.”
Some took direct shots at Acosta’s career trajectory, writing, “Jim, there’s a reason why CNN pushed you out the door.”
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
