Ex-CNN anchor Jim Acosta had a direct message for President Trump as he teased the launch of an independent show following his exit from the cable network.
In a message on his new Substack page, Acosta told readers how “The Trump administration and its MAGA allies made it their mission in life to run me out of town on a rail” and vowed he “would not pull any punches” in his reporting, on what he’s calling “The Jim Acosta Show.”
“To President Trump and his allies, you may think you have silenced me. But guess again. ‘The Jim Acosta Show’ is coming soon,” Acosta wrote Tuesday.
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Trump previously offered a celebratory response to Acosta’s expected exit from CNN, calling it “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 wrote on Truth Social. “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!”
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Acosta fired back, writing “Looks like somebody has ADS: Acosta Derangement Syndrome.”
Acosta announced he was leaving CNN at the end of his final broadcast, which came following reports that CNN CEO Mark Thompson wanted to move him from his 10 a.m. ET timeslot to a two-hour gig beginning at midnights. Acosta was left off CNN’s updated programming schedule announced last week.
“You may have seen some reports about me and this show and after giving all of this some careful consideration, and weighing an alternative timeslot CNN offered me, I have decided to move on,” Acosta told viewers.
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The veteran CNN star offered a pointed message, which included a not-so-veiled swipe at President Trump, who he famously feuded with during Trump’s first term.
“It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant,” Acosta said. “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. I plan on doing all of that in the future.
“One final message – don’t give into the lies. Don’t give into the fear. Hold onto the truth, and to hope. Even if you have to get out your phone, record that message. I will not give into the lies. I will not give into the fear. Post it on your social media, so people can hear from you, too,” he added.
“Jim has had a long, distinguished nearly 20-year career at CNN, with a track record of standing up to authority, for the first amendment and for our journalistic freedoms,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We want to thank him for the dedication and commitment he’s brought to his reporting and wish him the very best in the future.”
Acosta first joined CNN in 2007, where he covered political campaigns and eventually the Obama and Trump White Houses. He emerged as a hero of the anti-Trump resistance during his first term, often sparring with the president and his aides.”
Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.
