'Big problem': Former Fox News primetime host takes Jim Acosta’s side in feud with Trump

During a Tuesday, January 28 broadcast on CNN, Jim Acosta announced that he was leaving the cable news network — where he had worked since 2007. Acosta and CNN were in disagreement over the timeslot for his show "CNN Newsroom," and the reporter opted to leave CNN after 18 years.

President Donald Trump was quick to attack Acosta after the announcement.

On his Truth Social platform, Trump posted, "Wow, really good news! Jim Acosta, one of the worst and most dishonest reporters in journalistic history, a major sleazebag, has been relegated by CNN Fake News to the Midnight hour, 'Death Valley,' because of extraordinarily LOW RATINGS (and no talent!)."

READ MORE: 'Live with that shame': Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump gets 17-year state prison sentence

Trump is angry with former Fox News host Neil Cavuto as well. But another ex-Fox News host, Bill O'Reilly, described Trump's attacks on Acosta and Cavuto as pointless on his podcast "No Spin News."

O'Reilly has been a frequent defender of Trump and critic of what he considers liberal bias in the mainstream media, but he argued that "dancing on the graves" of media figures serves no useful purpose.

The former Fox News host told listeners, "He's not a reporter, he's a commentator, Acosta. And if you hate somebody, then you shouldn't even mention them, right? Because you can't comment in a fair way on someone you hate. Does that make sense to everybody?"

O'Reilly continued, "That's the big problem here. If you hate them — and there are a few people that I despise, but I tell you up front that I do."

READ MORE: Republicans float plan to slash benefits for working class to pay for Trump tax cuts

The Daily Beast's Nandika Chatterjee notes, "Cavuto, who served as a Fox News anchor until his ouster in December of last year, is reported to have left out of his own volition despite being offered a new contract. Acosta, on the other hand, was seemingly already on his way out after CNN, where he served as an anchor, recently announced specific strategy shifts and changes to its weekday schedule. With unstable ground to stand on, he announced his departure from the network after tearing into Trump in his final on-air message."

READ MORE: 'Grievance and animus': CEO explains how 'status anxiety' motivates Trump’s base