Jim Acosta Says Karoline Leavitt's Departure Signals Trump Administration Decline: 'Rats Are Starting to Jump Ship'
Key Takeaways
- •Karoline Leavitt announced she is leaving her role as White House Press Secretary to focus on raising her two children, though observers have speculated additional reasons may be involved.
- •Jim Acosta now operates an independent media platform after departing CNN, where he previously served as chief White House correspondent during the first Trump administration.
- •The White House Press Secretary position has historically experienced high turnover, with many in the role lasting a year or less across multiple administrations.
- •Sources indicated that Leavitt had been experiencing burnout in her position for several months before publicly announcing her departure.
- •Acosta had his White House press credentials temporarily revoked in 2018 before a federal judge ordered their restoration.
Former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta said on the latest episode of his show that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's departure is a sign that things are only going to get worse for the Trump administration.
Leavitt announced she is ending her career to focus on motherhood for her two children, though observers have speculated the reasons may extend beyond her stated rationale. Acosta offered a sendoff to her tenure, recalling his initial assessment when she first took the podium: questioning whether she was "ready for prime time" and suggesting she would need to undergo "special exercises that they do inside the Trump White House to really hone their skills at lying to the American people."
He characterized her performance by saying she "was going for the gold in the lie Olympics."
Acosta, who covered the first Trump administration as CNN's chief White House correspondent and had his own press credentials temporarily revoked by the White House in 2018 before a federal judge ordered their restoration, has been a persistent critic of the administration's communications strategy. His commentary now comes from an independent platform he launched after departing CNN.
Despite those criticisms, Acosta argued that her departure signals something broader about the administration's trajectory. "The rats are starting to jump ship," he said, describing an administration he believes is on the verge of losing its power and clout.
"Maybe they're starting to see what is coming this November and the size of the tidal wave that is building at this point, and they want to jump off this ship as quickly as possible before they get tossed around at sea, like Matt Damon in the Odyssey or something," Acosta said.
The White House Press Secretary role has historically been a high-pressure, high-turnover position across administrations of both parties, with several predecessors in the first Trump administration and prior administrations lasting a year or less in the job.
Separately, insiders have suggested that Leavitt had been suffering from "burnout" in her role for months leading up to her departure.
