Jim Acosta, prominent Trump critic, leaves CNN

Longtime reporter and anchor Jim Acosta is exiting CNN — but not before warning viewers about navigating the news during the second Trump administration.

The “CNN Newsroom” anchor announced on his show Tuesday that he would be leaving. On air, he reflected on what he viewed as the highlight of his time at CNN: questioning the Castro regime on Cuba's political prisoners, during former President Barack Obama’s visit in 2016.

The son of a Cuban refugee, Acosta said he learned an important lesson: “It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant.”

Acosta, a CNN veteran of 18 years, was the network’s chief White House correspondent during the first Trump administration. He often sparred with President Donald Trump during his first term, and said he was grateful to the network and to all the people working behind the scenes to make the show run.

His departure comes just as Trump has taken big swings at government institutions, and issued sweeping executive orders to roll back Biden-era programs. “I have always believed it’s the job of the press to hold power to account,” Acosta told viewers.

Status News first reported that Acosta would be leaving the network.

His departure comes only days after CNN announced around 200 layoffs, predominantly in their TV business, as the network looks to revamp digital operations. The shake-up of the broadcast schedule will replace Acosta’s 10 a.m. hour with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown’s “The Situation Room.”

“After giving all of this some careful consideration and weighing an alternative time slot that CNN offered me, I’ve decided to move on,” Acosta said Tuesday morning. The anchor said he would announce his next move in the coming days.

Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate Acosta’s exit, saying CNN moved his show due to bad ratings and calling Acosta “one of the worst and most dishonest reporters in journalistic history, a major sleazebag.”

Acosta did not respond directly to Trump’s post during his program. But his exit monologue was at times clearly aimed at the president. “Don’t give into the lies, don’t give into the fear, hold onto the truth and to hope," he said.