It's kind of tough being Jim Acosta.

After four years of badgering President Trump at White House news conferences, and raking in bucks off book deals because of it, CNN's ex-White House correspondent has now got ... 'post-Trump stress disorder,' he told CNN 'Reliable Sources' host Brian Stelter (the toilet guy).

He made these remarks in the context of Stelter asking him how he felt about being shunted to a CNN weekend slot in the aftermath of his very noisy stint as White House correspondent, where most of his 'scoops' were news items about himself.

According to Mediaite, he responded this way:

I think we’re all dealing with some post-Trump stress disorder…There are questions about why aren’t Republicans getting on board with these Biden proposals. There were Republicans getting on board with overturning the election just a couple of months ago, so we shouldn’t have high expectations for that. But in terms of stacking shows and what comes first, what comes second, Brian, you and I both know this all too well. We did cover the news before Donald Trump came along and we did it pretty well. There’s going to be plenty of stuff in the news and it doesn’t have to have Donald Trump in the headlines for us to continue to exist.

He's shell-shocked. He's traumatized by Trump, same as military veterans are to horrific battles. Now, he's a survivor. Or rather, a victim, and in need of lots of therapy, perhaps. Trump, after all, was the enemy.

It's as obnoxious and stupid and self-regarding a response as anything he ever said during his time badgering President Trump, except that now Trump just exists as a ghost dancing around in his head. 

It calls to mind what veteran old-school ABC newsman Ted Koppel had to say to Stelter (who commiserated with Acosta not too long ago), according to Fox News:

While on stage for a National Press Club panel discussion, Koppel attempted to make a point that many media executives admit Trump is good for ratings, as viewers on both sides of the aisle tune in to see the round-the-clock drama unfold.

Stelter responded by asking, “That means what? If ratings are up, that means what?”

Koppel – who anchored ABC News’ “Nightline” for 25 years and has been a working journalist for over four decades -- quickly answered.

“The ratings are up, it means you can’t do without Donald Trump. You would be lost without Donald Trump,” Koppel said as Stelter shook his head in disagreement.

“Ted, you know that’s not true,” Stelter said.

“CNN’s ratings would be in the toilet without Donald Trump,” Koppel said as the audience laughed.

“You know that’s not true. You’re playing for laughs,” Stelter shot back before explaining it would be “Okay” if CNN lost significant viewership during the next administration.

That theme again. Trump lives rent-free inside the heads of these morons, and now that Trump has exited the stage, creatures like Acosta and Stelter don't know what to do with themselves. Their ratings are down, which makes them less popular with the executives, and the dancing monkey acts are no longer being put forth in the prime-time slot. The news is no longer about themselves now, it's about Joe Biden. Acosta at least, who's known as 'dumb' among the White House press corps I talk to, has been put out to pasture, no longer ready for prime time, and sure enough, he's doing what he always does, which is whine.

Dear Diary: Trump is gone. I am traumatized. Signed, Jim.

This is embarassing. It not only makes CNN look terrible for its choice of correspondents during the Trump era, it makes these characters themselves look terrible, too. They now stand exposed as losers, people who had been used as performing seals to draw the cameras to themselves, the better to keep the news of Trump's achievements out of the news. Now they are useless in the sorry era of Joe Biden because making the story about themselves doesn't support the idea of advancing the Democrat agenda. And CNN's ratings are indeed down.

And, as Koppel said, their ratings are now in the toilet without Trump. Stelter acted as though that wasn't a problem for these guys, but trust me, it is.

Image: Legoktm, via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0

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