Jim Acosta

About

Abilio James Acosta (born April 17, 1971) is an American broadcast journalist. From 2007 to 2025, he worked for CNN. He served as CNN’s chief White House correspondent during the Obama and first Trump administrations, in which he gained national attention for his clashes with President Donald Trump at press briefings. In January 2021, Acosta was appointed CNN’s anchor and chief domestic correspondent. On January 28, 2025, Acosta made his final broadcast on CNN after rejecting a different time slot for his CNN Newsroom show.

Acosta’s father arrived in the United States at age 11 as a refugee from Santa María del Rosario, Cuba, three weeks before the Cuban Missile Crisis. His ancestors were originally from the Canary Islands. Acosta’s mother is of Irish and Czech ancestry. Acosta was raised in Virginia and graduated from Annandale High School in 1989. In 1993, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, with a minor in political science, from James Madison University. While in school, Acosta volunteered for WXJM, the student-run radio station. He also worked as a reporter at WSVA, a local radio station owned and operated by Saga Communications….