Acosta Shown Up in Own Live Shot Setup by Kid Whose Excitement at Trump Rally Goes Viral
Another day, another hilarious moment that is sure to chip away at CNN anchor Jim Acosta’s bumptious journalistic self-importance.
Reporting live from President Donald Trump’s Wednesday night rally in Monroe, Louisiana, CNN at one point found its shot of Acosta invaded by a young rally-goer who simply could not seem to contain his enthusiasm.
As the president’s audience filtered into the venue, Acosta was adjusting his attire in front of a rolling CNN camera when the unnamed boy upstaged him, shifting into the background with a throw-back dance move older generations may be familiar with: the worm.
And the young man certainly wiggled his way into viral video stardom:
The kid doing “the worm” behind @Acosta is the best thing I’ve seen today pic.twitter.com/SAIcupml1e
— Richard Madan (@RichardMadan) November 6, 2019
In the hours that followed, the video was shared across the internet by news outlets like The Daily Caller, HuffPost and the Washington Examiner and prominent activists and political correspondents like Kyle Kashuv and Richard Madan.
By Friday it had been viewed more than 2 million times.
The hilarious video even caught the attention of Acosta himself.
“Nice work kid!” the CNN anchor tweeted the night of the rally.
Nice work kid! https://t.co/svqAJ5fXKM
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) November 6, 2019
But it would be pretty foolish — at least in my humble view — to believe that Acosta got anything even remotely resembling a kick out of this video.
This is a guy who, at a time when reporting integrity in the United States is spiraling to almost unprecedented lows, wrote a 368-page book about how important the industry he’s made a career in is to the democratic process.
Not-so-subtly titled after Trump’s attack on the left-wing establishment media as the “enemy of the people,” Acosta’s book is all about how hard it is to be a journalist in one of the only nations that enshrines a free press in its governmental framework as a right of the people.
You know, because the boldness of this president in taking on media power and misinformation in the U.S. has sent us reporters underground, fearing for our lives.
Need another example?
This is a guy who took time out of his busy schedule as a national news anchor to fact-check the president’s retweet of a clearly edited photo of a military dog being awarded a non-existent Metal of Paw-nor.
A WH official said “the dog is not at the WH.” https://t.co/eJLqBMyKna
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 30, 2019
Let’s just be frank.
This viral video, in all likelihood, did not manage to coerce from Acosta’s nose even the sharp exhale of a mildly entertained person.
Acosta was present Wednesday night for one reason, and one reason only: to pick apart each and every word that escaped the president’s mouth.
CNN sent Acosta — a journalist with whom the president has had more than one public spat — to make a stink about the red meat Trump would undoubtedly be throwing to his base, while forwarding a false political narrative that Trump’s support is waning in light of House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
And a self-important individual with that type of goal certainly did not get a laugh out of a Trump supporter stealing his thunder.
Regardless, anything that will take eyes of these establishment media dunces, undermining their attempts to feel self-important, is effort well spent.
So, I will echo Acosta’s words: “Nice work kid!”
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