Jim Acosta Jabs At Trump In CNN Exit (& Uses Obama To Throw Salt In The Wound)

Remember when we found out that CNN's Jim Acosta was facing a major demotion, and everyone started bringing up Donald Trump? To fill you in, netizens believed that CNN's decision to order the anchor out of his prime news spot and into a graveyard shift had Donald Trump's name written all over it. Well, Jim Acosta, whose real name is Abilio Acosta, ditched the degrading offer and officially resigned today after 17 years with the network. But while he's stepping down from CNN, he's clearly not stepping away from his feud with Donald Trump anytime soon. 

The former White House correspondent announced his resignation with a biting statement that doubled as a Trump diss. "People often ask me if the highlight of my career at CNN was at the White House covering Donald Trump," he began (via CNN). "Actually, no. That moment came here," he said, gesturing to a picture of himself with Barack Obama during a 2016 meeting with Cuban dictator Raul Castro. "As the son of a Cuban refugee, I took home this lesson: It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant," he concluded. Ouch!

Acosta's words could also have been directed at CNN for allegedly trying to appease Trump. "They want to get rid of Acosta to throw a bone to Trump," a source told Oliver Darcy, a journalist for Status. Interestingly, Trump, never one for subtlety, proved that he indeed knew about the situation before it was made public.

Moments before Jim Acosta announced his resignation on-air, Donald Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate: "Wow, really good news! Jim Acosta, one of the worst and most dishonest reporters in journalistic history, a major sleazebag, has been relegated by CNN Fake News to the Midnight hour, 'Death Valley,' because of extraordinarily BAD RATINGS (and no talent!)." Trump didn't stop there, predicting Acosta's resignation: "Word is that he wants to QUIT, and that would be even better. Jim is a major loser who will fail no matter where he ends up. Good luck Jim!"

Acosta's brutal feud with Donald Trump dates back to his days as a White House correspondent for CNN during the president's first tenure. He often managed to put Trump in the hot seat, fueling a public rivalry that may have contributed to his exit from CNN. Despite the fallout, Acosta seemed unbothered during his final speech: "I have always believed it's the job of the press to hold power to account. I have always tried to do that here at CNN," he said. "I plan on doing all of that in the future. One final message — don't give in to the lies."