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While he could be tending to national affairs or, I don’t know, quietly eating a McDonald’s burger, Donald Trump — the President of the United States — has instead decided to spend his time attacking a journalist?
That’s right, as the country reels from his federal loan pause, mourns his mass deportation orders, and ponders whether to start learning Danish, the commander-in-chief has taken time out of his golfing schedule to weigh in on Jim Acosta’s departure from CNN. The journalist, who earned a reputation as a top Trump critic for CNN, announced his resignation today, just days after a timing conflict sparked a dispute at the network.
According to the New York Times, Acosta chose to step down from his role after clashing with CNN over the decision to reschedule his show to midnight — the TV news equivalent of the graveyard shift. While the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding Acosta’s departure might be titillating to us, it should not be anywhere near the top of mind for the leader of the free world. With peace deals to broker and meetings with billionaire friends to attend, there should be more pressing items on the presidential agenda, right?
Nope, at least not if Trump’s rage post on Truth Social is anything to go by. Sitting behind a keyboard that evidently has a broken caps lock button, Trump used his grease-stained fingers to celebrate Acosta’s CNN departure. The president, unbothered by actual presidential duties, described Acosta, without a shred of irony, as “a major loser who will fail no matter where he ends up.” If only Trump were positioned in front of a mirror instead of a TV, then we might have a President with self-awareness and circle eyes instead of square.
Later in the post on Truth Social — perhaps the only platform more loser-ish than X — Trump said Acosta “one of the worst and most dishonest reporters in journalistic history,” and anticipated his departure from CNN. “Word is that he wants to QUIT, and that would be even better,” Trump wrote, hopefully manifesting his own destiny. Thankfully, it was Acosta who got the last word, using his resignation to troll Trump on his way out. Taking to X (sigh), the journalist shared a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post with the caption “Looks like somebody has ADS: Acosta Derangement Syndrome.”
Drawing upon the talking point of Trump’s own party is the kind of clapback we’d expect from a journalist who has spent years holding the president’s feet to the fire. In Trump’s case, said fire would burn extra quickly, not just because of that “liar liar pants on fire” adage, but because his pores at this point probably only secrete cheeseburger grease.
Thankfully, we’ll still be able to enjoy Acosta’s critiques of the president despite his resignation, since he will soon be launching The Jim Acosta Show on Substack. For what it’s worth, Substack is infinitely cooler than any of the tech platforms owned by those who sat front row at the inauguration, and its owner isn’t a billionaire (yet).
“I’m grateful to CNN for the nearly 18 years I’ve spent here doing the news,” Acosta said of his departure at the end of his final show. “It’s never a good time to bow down to a tyrant,” he added, addressing Trump in everything but name. What’s the bet that after seeing that, Trump passes on a critical piece of legislation and instead races to social media?