Overview

• At a Center for American Progress event on June 17, Jim Acosta argued that the far-right had "completely led astray" farmers into voting against their own interests.
• Conservative outlets characterized his comments as condescending toward working-class and rural Americans and emblematic of media elitism.
• Exit polls show that 77 percent of farming-dependent counties and 63 percent of rural voters supported President Trump in the 2024 election.
• Acosta’s earlier jokes about Ivana Trump on The Contrarian podcast drew criticism and led Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to label him "a disgraceful human being."
• Observers warn that such rhetoric could deepen the divide between Democrats and rural communities and complicate outreach efforts to farming voters.