Martina Navratilova drops 3-word reaction after notable Donald Trump critic Jim Acosta quits CNN with bold 'Don't give in to fear' speech

Martina Navratilova expressed her thoughts as Jim Acosta quit CNN after being asked to shift his morning show to midnight. The American broadcast journalist has been a staunch critic of Donald Trump, and the US President was joyous over his 'relegation'.

Acosta was one of the most popular hosts on the network and his 10 a.m. weekday show had been posting some of the highest viewership for the past year. The 53-year-old was asked to vacate the slot and move to the midnight shift before he rejected the offer and decided to end his 18-year-old career with the network.

Acosta announced his decision to leave on Tuesday, January 28, and signed off with a bold speech.

“As the son of a Cuban refugee, I took home this lesson - it is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant. I have always believed it’s the job of the press to hold power to account. I’ve always tried to do that at CNN and plan to go on doing it in the future," he said in his speech.

"One final message — don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear,” Acosta concluded. “Hold on to the truth and to hope, even if you have to get out your phone. Record that message. I will not give in to the lies."

Navratilova, a staunch critic of Trump, reacted to the speech with a three-word message for the anchor.

"Thank you Jim!!!," Martina Navratilova wrote.

The US President on the other hand, expressed happiness over the news, writing on his Truth Social handle:

“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 BAD RATINGS (and no talent!). Word is that he wants to QUIT, and that would be even better. Jim is a major loser who will fail no matter where he ends up. Good luck Jim!”

Trump has long despised Acosta for his critical commentary since his first term in the White House. During a press conference in 2018, he confronted the anchor, telling him that CNN should be 'ashamed' of having him on the network.

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Martina Navratilova puts Elon Musk on the spot over reported move to silence critics on X

Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon 2024 - Source: Getty

Elon Musk has faced backslash since getting involved in US Politics last year when he campaigned for US President Donald Trump. The billionaire stirred controversy in December last year over his stance on H1-b visas. When he faced heavy public backlash on his platform, an analysis by the platform's Grok AI concluded that he had removed the verification badge of his critics.

Martina Navratilova slammed Musk as she reshared the aforementioned post and wrote:

"So much free speech, right Elon???"

The 18-time Grand Slam champion has also accused the X owner of destroying the platform.