The White House has condemned former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta as a “disgraceful human being” after he made jokes about President Donald Trump’s deceased ex-wife Ivana Trump during a podcast appearance on Monday.
Acosta appeared on “The Contrarian” podcast with Jennifer Rubin during a “No Kings” Day episode, where he criticized Trump’s immigration policies and ICE raids. During the discussion, Acosta argued that Trump was hypocritical on immigration issues because of his immigrant wives, including his late first wife Ivana.
The former CNN correspondent questioned why there were no ICE raids at Trump properties, asking where the raids were at Trump golf courses and suggesting there might be undocumented workers or paperwork issues at these locations.
Acosta then made remarks about Trump’s marriage history, asking how many immigrants Trump had married. He referenced Ivana Trump’s burial site at Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey, questioning whether she was buried by the first hole or second tee. He concluded his comments by joking that immigrants were always doing jobs Americans did not want to do.
Ivana Trump, who was the mother of Trump’s three eldest children Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric, died in 2022. She was born in then-Czechoslovakia, lived in Canada in the 1970s before relocating to the United States, and married Donald Trump in 1977. She is buried at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the comments, telling Fox News Digital that Acosta was a disgraceful human being. The remarks drew criticism from various quarters, with many condemning the tone and nature of the comments about Trump’s deceased former wife.
Acosta, who left CNN in January after serving as the network’s chief White House correspondent during Trump’s first term, had become one of Trump’s fiercest critics. He frequently mixed on-air editorializing with his reporting and maintained his critical stance toward Trump even after becoming independent this year.
During Trump’s first presidency, Acosta had his White House press credentials temporarily revoked in 2018 after a confrontational exchange with the president during a press conference. CNN sued the administration, and a federal judge ordered the White House to restore Acosta’s press pass three days later.
The incident occurred amid ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and various media outlets. In recent weeks, Los Angeles has experienced significant unrest related to ICE raids, with the Los Angeles Police Department arresting 575 individuals since the first weekend of protests. Authorities have battled protesters who have thrown projectiles, set fire to cars and launched fireworks at police officers, resulting in injuries to 10 law enforcement members as of Monday.
Trump celebrated Acosta’s departure from CNN in January, writing on his Truth Social account that it was really good news. Trump described Acosta as one of the worst and most dishonest reporters in journalistic history, calling him a major sleazebag who had been relegated to the midnight hour because of extraordinarily bad ratings. Trump suggested that Acosta wanted to quit and that it would be even better, predicting that Acosta would fail regardless of where he ended up.
The controversy highlights the ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and media figures who have been critical of the president’s policies. Acosta’s comments about Ivana Trump’s burial site and his characterization of immigrants doing jobs Americans do not want to do sparked immediate backlash from the White House and drew attention to the contentious relationship between Trump and certain members of the press corps.
