Jim Acosta has done plenty of things throughout his tenure as White House correspondent during the age of Trump that should end with an apology, but belittling Kim Kardashian for undertaking a quest of justice and fairness certainly takes the cake.
The CNN reporter promptly belittled both President Donald Trump and Kardashian for having the gall of attempting to use her immense influence and stardom for something good: securing the freedom of Alice Marie Johnson, who was sentenced to life for a first-time felony drug charge.
A noble cause for a celebrity who rightly understands her ability to enact, particularly in an era with a president who is particularly susceptible to the opinions and causes of America’s celebrity-elite.
Instead of cheering her on, Acosta said Kardashian’s presence was “not a serious thing to have happen here at the White House.”
“Really [Kardashian’s visit] pales in comparison, that level of seriousness pales in comparison to what the president does when he weighs in on the Roseanne Barr tweet, fails to condemn the racism at the heart of her remarks, and then having the White House press secretary coming out here and shaming the media and blaming us for making all sorts of comments that need apologies when they themselves owe the American people plenty of apologies for things that the president has said over the years,” he said on May 30 on CNN.
Yet Acosta was wrong — Kardashian’s visit was indeed quite serious. (RELATED: She’s Out! Alice Johnson Released — Praises Jesus, Kim Kardashian And Trump)
Trump commuted Johnson’s sentence Thursday, just a week after her visit.
“Ms. Johnson has accepted responsibility for her past behavior and has been a model prisoner over the past two decades. Despite receiving a life sentence, Alice worked hard to rehabilitate herself in prison, and act as a mentor to her fellow inmates,” a statement from the White House read.
According to Kardashian, Trump took a special interest in Johnson’s case. In an interview with Mic, she said the president “really spent the time to listen to our case that we were making for Alice. He really understood, and I am very hopeful that this will turn out really positively.”
Perhaps Acosta should have done the same.
Admittedly, most Americans probably thought the site of Kardashian and Trump together in the Oval Office was rather bizarre, or some sort of scene out of an alternative history written in 2004.
But regardless of his first impressions, Acosta let his reflexive disdain for everything Trump does cloud his judgement about the very real potential for good the pardon/commutation power has.
We all make mistakes and we are all likely guilty of letting our partisan horse blinders ferment toxic takes that are soon regretted.
And that’s a simple apology could make this right. Perhaps Acosta could reflect on this moment to see that despite his poor relationship with the White House, there are plenty of things they can agree on — even if the way Trump goes about them are unorthodox.
When Johnson was released, she told Trump, “I am going to make you proud.” Let’s hope Acosta will do the same.
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