Jim Acosta did not mince his words while reacting to Donald Trump’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech Friday evening, even going as far as to slam the event as a “disgrace.”
The veteran journalist, who worked for CNN for nearly 20 years, laid into the WHCA dinner and Trump’s address in a candid reaction posted to X.
“This dinner is a disgrace. Trump’s rambling, unhinged speech is full of hate and spite,” Acosta wrote. “Just spewing nastiness at his usual targets. Let’s not sanitize how truly ugly it was. This would be a great moment for members of the press to get up and walk out.”
He added in a follow-up post: “The wide shots tell the story. Most people aren’t laughing. They can’t wait to call their Ubers to go home.”
Acosta’s outrage over the event isn’t necessarily surprising, given he was among the 500-plus journalists who penned a viral letter urging the WHCA to confront President Trump at Friday’s dinner. Not to mention, Trump singled out his former CNN colleagues Anderson Cooper, Kaitlin Collins and Don Lemon during the WHCD speech.
Acosta wasn’t alone in his criticism of Trump’s address, as Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and CNN’s Mark Thompson all spoke out against the president.
“Trump is cracking jokes about natural disasters while American families are still waiting for the disaster recovery dollars he promised,” Newsom posted on X after Trump made a jab about his response to the 2025 Southern California wildfires.
His press office chimed in with its own response, adding, “Donald Trump is a son of a bitch.”
Schiff also weighed in after Trump suggested the event didn’t have a clown because “Adam Shifty Schiff was not available.”
“Looks like they found a clown after all…,” he hit back.
As for Thompson, the CNN CEO issued a formal statement after Trump zeroed in on the network’s journalists at the dinner.
“We stand by our journalist and the integrity and fair mindedness with which the CNN team reports the news,” Thompson wrote in a Friday evening statement. “Honest, accurate journalism may sometimes irritate politicians, but our right to report and present that reporting to the public without government interference is fully protected by the U.S. Constitution. CNN will continue to exercise this right.”
Though, not all of the responses were negative, as Fox News’ David Asman touted Friday’s dinner as a “great night for America.”
For other reactions to Trump’s speech, keep reading.
