The anchor, who is one of the highest rated on the network — which isn’t saying much — is said to be annoyed with a proposed move to midnight from his daytime slot, which some believe is the network looking to appease President-elect Trump, who has had a tough relationship with Acosta.
The anchor lauded his own accomplishments live on air, but before doing so, he spoke about a warning from President Joe Biden.
“[President Biden] warned the free press is crumbling in this country. I would add that’s only if we, the people, let that happen,” he said.
“Journalists exist to seek the truth, to tell people stories, to lift up voices that may not be heard otherwise,” the anchor said.
“To shine a light on injustice and hold the powerful accountable. We are not the enemy of the people. We are the defender of the people,” he said before holding a bright pink sign that read, “I march for Jim Acosta and a free press.”
The sign was made after Acosta was banned from the White House briefing room by the first Trump administration before courts ordered that he be allowed back in.
“A woman sent me a sign eight years ago, she carried here at a march in Washington. She wrote on the back of the sign to me and the press here in DC, ‘you have our support,’ To Nora, wherever you are, right back at ya,” he said.
Acosta also shared a clip of himself being attacked by Republicans and Democrats to “prove” that he is a fair and unbiased journalist, but many on X were not impressed.
“This nakedly partisan b**** really does think he’s the Conscience of America,” Journalist Glenn Greenwald said. “Never seen a more self-important, sanctimonious blow hard in my entire life. And no, I’ll never get over the fact that he wrote a book bought by dumb liberals where he depicted himself as endangered.”
The book he was referring to was Acosta’s 2019 tome, “The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America.”
Jim Acosta is already gearing up for Trump’s next term by celebrating and uplifting Jim Acosta. pic.twitter.com/4QTJEEyTcp
— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) January 17, 2025
“You are not ‘we the people.’ You represent an industry that is more interested in pushing a viewpoint,” another X user said. “Until you start serving ‘we the people,’ you should continue to slide into irrelevance.”
“There is no one in this country who’s interested in what you have to say. Sorry dude. You speaking about the free press while embracing the Left’s censorship over the last few years is peak irony,” another X user said.
On Thursday, former CNN reporter Oliver Darcy reported that CNN Worldwide Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson spoke to Acosta by phone and “delivered the veteran journalist a sudden and strange proposal: Move your show to midnight and anchor it until 2am ET.”
“They want to get rid of Acosta to throw a bone to Trump. Midnight is not a serious offer when his ratings are among the best on the network,” another source said.
A current staffer told Mediaite that many at CNN “were caught off guard by reports of this move and, of course, the timing.”
“For one, Jim has not been part of the problem. He’s consistently delivering and holding his own at 10 am (and) has a loyal following,” they said.
“Jim made a career and name for himself by asking tough questions and holding power to account. That included Trump. So it will be interesting to see if this kind of move has some sort of chilling effect or sends a message to other shows and EPs about how the network wants to engage with this new administration,” the staffer added.
“This is the worst possible move at the worst possible time,” another CNN employee said to Mediaite. “Staffers are baffled by this rumor. It seems like an attempt to appease Trump, who is never appeased by anything. Trump and his aides will celebrate if Acosta is sidelined.”