Departing CNN Anchor Fires Back at Trump for Suffering from ‘Acosta Derangement Syndrome’

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Jim Acosta fired back at President Donald Trump’s attack over his exit from CNN, mockingly tweeting that the president whom he once successfully sued for revoking his White House Press Corps pass was suffering from “Acosta Derangement Syndrome.”

Earlier this month, former CNN reporter Oliver Darcy reported in his Status newsletter that CNN Worldwide Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson had attempted to exile Acosta to a midnight to 2 am ET show, saying he could move to Los Angeles where it would be evening prime time. The proposed schedule swap from Acosta’s weekday 10 am time slot was widely viewed as an ill-advised attempt to curry favor with Trump — especially since Acosta had a long history of ratings successes in that weekday morning hour and his previous weekend gig for CNN.

On Monday, Darcy published his newsletter with new reporting that Acosta had decided to leave the network rather than make the chronological trek to late night.

Acosta confirmed his departure in a short monologue at the end of his show Tuesday, thanking viewers and the team who worked with him on his show, declaring that “it is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant.” He concluded by urging his audience, “Don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear. Hold on to the truth and to hope.”

Shortly before Acosta announced he was leaving, Trump posted on his Truth Social account the anchor’s rumored departure was “really good news” because he was “a major sleazebag” and “a major loser who will fail no matter where he ends up.”

Tuesday afternoon, Acosta slapped back at Trump with a joke no doubt inspired by the “Trump Derangement Syndrome” insult the president’s supporters often throw at his critics.

“Looks like somebody has ADS: Acosta Derangement Syndrome,” Acosta tweeted.

Earlier in the day Tuesday, Acosta posted a Substack Live video and said he was going independent.

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