CNN’s Jim Acosta Taunts Trump Over GOP Speaker Fight: Doesn’t Have The Power Over ‘MAGA World’ Like He Once Did

CNN’s Jim Acosta taunted President-elect Donald Trump on Friday over the looming fight in the House of Representatives over whether Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) should keep his job.

Trump endorsed Johnson’s bid to hold on to the gavel earlier this week in a Truth Social post, writing that he’s a “good, hard working, religious man” who “will do the right thing.”

But Johnson nevertheless faces an uphill battle, even if it appears he will eventually hold on to his post. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has already indicated he will vote against the speaker, so Johnson can’t afford a single additional Republican “no” vote.

On CNN, Acosta addressed Democratic political commentator Maria Cardona and observed, “The other thing, too, about all of this is that the fact that Donald Trump has to come in at the eleventh hour here to push Mike Johnson over the finish line, it also suggests that he just doesn’t have the same kind of push and pull with MAGA world that he once did.”

“I mean, there was the budget fight before the end of the year, there are these upcoming cabinet picks, and now the speaker vote,” he concluded.

“That’s exactly right,” replied Cardona, who went on to argue that “Donald Trump had a huge loss during the whole budget fight.”

“I do think that his hold on the MAGA world isn’t as strong as before, because let’s also remember, he’s a lame duck president. He is not running again, he can’t run again. But these folks in the in the Congress, in the House of Representatives, they do want to run again and they want to win again,” she continued. “And so they are looking at a much different maybe not much different, but a different enough calculus than Donald Trump, where this could maybe not work math wise for Mike Johnson.”

Presenting another view, Shermichael Singleton submitted that “he presiden- elect is incredibly popular among Republican voters.”

“I mean, like I hear Maria saying, ‘he doesn’t have the sway he once did.’ But let’s not forget how well he just performed in this recent presidential contest.”

“And the reality is, many of those Republicans probably would not have gotten across the finish line in some of those very contested congressional districts if it were not for Donald Trump’s popularity,” he added. “So maybe they should be reminded of how they were able to keep their jobs or get their new jobs for those who are newly elected members.”

Watch above via CNN.