Former CNN host and White House correspondent Jim Acosta took a dig at his former employer after they featured President Donald Trump in an interview earlier this week.
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One of the things Trump said in passing to host Jake Tapper was, “We’re trying to have CNN go on a normal path.”
It was a reference to Trump allies Larry and David Ellison taking over Time/Warner, the parent company of CNN.
Acosta honed in on the idea of Trump saying the word “We’re.”
“He went on CNN, and he sort of tipped his hand a little bit, it seemed to me, right on national television, where he almost said that he’s a part of creating this new Paramount WB merger — This new merger between CBS [Paramount] and CNN,” Acosta said, playing Trump’s comments.
A group of attorneys general has lined up to fight back against the merger of the Ellisons’ Paramount and Time/Warner. Acosta spoke with California Attorney General Rob Bonta about the takeover bid and Trump’s relationship with the Ellisons.
Bonta agreed that Trump showed his hand in the interview. It made him wonder if the “we” in this case was Trump and the Ellisons or if it was Trump and someone else.
A major part of the case from the AGs addresses the path that networks have taken in bowing down to him with compliments and agreements.
“Instead of doing what a news organization should do, be independent, free thinking, be honest, be hard-hitting, hold the powerful accountable, tell the truth, seek the truth, and give different perspectives so that the American people can decide for themselves,” Bonta said.
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The admission made it sound like Trump is deeply involved in the merger, Acosta found.
“They’ll try to refer to the federal government’s, quote-unquote, approval of this merger as something in their favor, and it’s just a president helping a friend,” Bonta said. “There was no antitrust analysis that was legitimate or done in good faith completed here.”
Acosta has stayed largely above the fray on his old employer, other than to needle commentator and “whiner” Scott Jennings.
Speaking with Nicolle Wallace for her video/podcast, Acosta made it clear that he thinks Bari Weiss, editor-in-chief at CBS News will “murder CNN” when the merger goes through.
Acosta bashed what CBS News has become, “a clown show” that “nobody wants to watch.”
CBS has suffered a significant ratings hit after the merger, losing 20 percent in total viewers as well as the key 25-54 demographic since late last year before the takeover. CBS Evening News has dropped to below 4 million viewers, which is a slump that began when it put Tony Dokoupil in as the host. CBS Mornings has also lost about 1.6 million total viewers in the coveted 25-54 demographic.
CNN has seen gains over the past few months when measured across all its platforms. It’s been the best since the 2024 election coverage. It’s unclear when the shift will happen at CNN with the Ellison takeover.
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