
Jim Acosta, the longtime antagonist of former President Donald Trump and a lightning rod for controversy during his tenure as CNN’s White House correspondent, is now facing a harsh reality: irrelevance. Once positioned as the face of CNN’s confrontational coverage of Trump, Acosta has found himself fighting for relevance in a media landscape that has shifted—and not in his favor. Now, with CNN reportedly planning to banish him to the midnight slot, it’s becoming clear that his career may be following the same trajectory as the network’s ratings: straight downhill.
The writing has been on the wall for Acosta for some time. His stint hosting CNN Newsroom during the 10 a.m. slot has been an abject failure, routinely placing third in the ratings behind Fox News and MSNBC. For a network struggling to remain relevant amid a shifting media environment, Acosta’s self-important, combative style has become more of a liability than an asset. As Oliver Darcy reported in his newsletter, CNN’s new CEO, Mark Thompson, has proposed moving Acosta to the “Siberia of television news”—the midnight time block. While some within the network claim the move is unrelated to Acosta’s ratings or editorial style, others see it as a calculated move to prepare CNN for the reality of Trump’s second term.
Acosta’s clashes with Trump are well-documented. From losing his press pass after a heated exchange in 2018 to being branded “a rude, terrible person” by the former president, Acosta became a poster child for adversarial journalism during Trump’s first term. But while his antics earned him headlines and social media praise from the left, they also made him a polarizing figure and further damaged CNN’s credibility with much of the country. Now, as Trump prepares to return to office, it seems CNN is looking to distance itself from Acosta’s brand of bombast, perhaps in a bid to regain some semblance of neutrality—or at least avoid Trump’s wrath.
Republican Congressman @TimBurchett absolutely torched CNN’s Jim Acosta for wishcasting a second January 6 and that those released by President Trump are going to commit violence:
“This is a political world, Jim. And I don’t remember you all on CNN condemning Joe Biden for… pic.twitter.com/aMC4gMid8p
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 22, 2025
Acosta, however, isn’t going quietly. In his latest attempt to remain relevant, he sparred with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) during a segment on January 6, a topic CNN refuses to let go of despite dwindling public interest. Predictably, Acosta attempted to paint Trump as responsible for any future crimes committed by individuals who were pardoned for their January 6-related offenses. Burchett, unamused by the absurdity of the question, fired back: “No more than Joe Biden should take personal responsibility for the 14 million people, for Laken Riley losing her life because he didn’t have enough guts to enforce the law and back Americans.”
Acosta, visibly flustered, tried to steer the conversation back to Trump, only for Burchett to deliver another rhetorical body blow: “Well, you should be [talking about Biden].” The congressman also took a swipe at CNN’s dismal ratings, quipping, “That’s why more people are watching the Cartoon Network, Spongebob reruns right now.” The exchange perfectly encapsulated Acosta’s struggles: his inability to control the narrative and his growing irrelevance in the face of a network that fewer and fewer Americans are tuning into.
What’s ironic about Acosta’s current plight is how much it mirrors CNN’s broader struggles. Once a leader in cable news, CNN has seen its ratings plummet, particularly in the aftermath of its obsessive Trump coverage. Under Jeff Zucker, the network leaned heavily into a hyper-partisan approach, alienating moderate viewers and cementing its reputation as a left-wing echo chamber. Now, under Mark Thompson’s leadership, the network appears to be pivoting, albeit awkwardly, to a more balanced approach. That pivot may explain why figures like Acosta are being sidelined.
OUCH. @TimBurchett absolutely bodies CNN’s Jim Acosta as the network losing to Spongebob reruns….
Acosta: “This is this is not Fox, congressman. You can’t just spin a tale and pull the wool over people’s eyes. This is CNN. This is the news. We are asking you to come on and… pic.twitter.com/AUfWPwPH49
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 22, 2025
Even in his final days at the helm, Joe Biden couldn’t resist rewarding his loyal media allies, handing out pardons and Presidential Citizens Awards to figures like Liz Cheney, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and others who carried water for his administration. Acosta’s exclusion from such honors is telling. While he was once a darling of the anti-Trump resistance, his star has faded, leaving him to deliver self-serving monologues about the importance of journalism and the free press to a rapidly shrinking audience.
Acosta’s latest rant, in which he declared, “We are not the enemy of the people. We are the defenders of the people,” rings particularly hollow in light of CNN’s ongoing identity crisis. With its ratings in freefall and its reputation in tatters, the network is facing an existential question: Can it survive in a media landscape dominated by streaming services, independent creators, and a public increasingly distrustful of legacy outlets?