CNN’s Jim Acosta Defends Press Freedom in Response to Trump’s Past Criticism

Edited by: Fern Sidman/ Jared Evan

In a fiery monologue on Thursday, CNN anchor Jim Acosta fervently defended the role of journalists in safeguarding democracy, declaring that the press is not “the enemy of the people,” as President-elect Donald Trump has frequently claimed. Acosta’s remarks followed outgoing President Joe Biden’s farewell address, where the 82-year-old leader warned of the deteriorating state of the free press, ironically after the Biden administration was outed by Mark Zuckerberg for demanding censorship online and threatening Meta.

Acosta began his  phony statement by referencing Biden’s solemn message on the press’s importance to democracy. “I want to take a moment to talk about something President Biden said during his farewell address,” Acosta said, as quoted by The New York Post. He echoed Biden’s concern about the potential decline of journalistic freedom, adding, “That’s only if we, the people, let that happen.” Acosta’s comments speak to a critical tension in contemporary U.S. politics: the contentious relationship between the press and the incoming Trump administration.

The monologue carried a deeply personal tone as Acosta revisited a moment from Trump’s first term. Holding up a bright pink placard given to him by a viewer in 2016, he said, “A woman sent me this sign eight years ago. She carried it here at a march in Washington.” The sign, which read, “I March For Jim Acosta and a FREE PRESS,” symbolized public solidarity with journalists amid escalating attacks on the press during Trump’s initial presidency. Acosta’s acknowledgment of this gesture, as detailed by The New York Post, demonstrated his gratitude to those who support journalistic integrity.

Acosta has no journalistic integrity, as he is not a journalist but a paid DNC cheerleader of the Democratic party.

While some praised Acosta for his commitment to press freedom, others criticized him for his self-aggrandizement. Reporter Drew Holden, for instance, commented on X, “I think one thing that makes people dislike media personalities like Acosta—beyond the dishonesty—is this kind of vainglorious self-flattery.” According to the information provided in The New York Post report, Holden suggested that Acosta and his network, CNN, could benefit from a more measured approach to such messaging, noting, “A little less soapbox would go a long way.”

Acosta’s statement also came against the backdrop of Biden’s broader critique of Trump and his political allies. During his farewell address, Biden warned of the rise of “an oligarchy” and proposed a constitutional amendment to ensure that “no president is immune from crimes that he or she commits while in office.”

  Biden’s administration was known for heavily pressuring the media and social media to censor information, making his statements a spiteful dig at his critics. Biden administration officials were known for harassing social media entities into censoring news and opinion, even Mark Zuckerman admitted on the Joe Rogan show, that Biden demanded Meta to block information and censor the flow of information on Facebook

Acosta’s fiery defense of the press aligns with ongoing debates About the role of media in holding power accountable. While his speech drew mixed reactions, it called attention to the heightened stakes for journalists under Trump’s renewed leadership.