Jim Acosta of CNN responds to Trump's characterization of the media as "the enemy of the people" in an interview.

Jim Acosta, a CNN anchor, declared that the media is not the enemy of the people as he welcomed the new Trump administration.

In a Thursday CNN segment, a liberal journalist, renowned for his outbursts as White House correspondent during Trump's first term, discussed the significance of the news media to democracy after President Biden warned that the "free press is crumbling" in his farewell address.

Trump's second term could pose a threat to democracy, according to Acosta, who also used the phrase "enemy of the people" to criticize the press. Acosta's memoir, titled "The Enemy of the People," was not well-received.

"We are not the opponents of the people. We are the protectors of the people. As Walter Cronkite once stated, 'freedom of the press is not just essential to democracy. It is democracy itself,'" Acosta stated in a clip first shared to X by NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck.

In the segment, the anchor discussed a statement from Biden's farewell address on Wednesday regarding dangers to the media.

Acosta stated that the free press is crumbling in this country, but only if we, the people, allow it to happen.

The anchor continued, stressing the importance of journalists in protecting the truth.

He stated that journalists' role is to uncover the truth, report people's stories, amplify underrepresented voices, expose injustice, and hold the powerful accountable.

He ended the segment by displaying a pink sign he claimed was handed to him by an anti-Trump protester during Trump's first term.

"I'd like to share with you something that happened eight years ago. A woman sent me a sign at a march in Washington. She carried it here and wrote on the back, 'you have our support.' The message was meant for me and the press in D.C."

The Women's March on Washington and across the country, which took place when Trump first assumed office in 2017, seemed to be the target of his reference.

The banner displayed the message, "Support Jim Acosta and the Press."

Jim Acosta reported from Washington, saying, 'To Nora, wherever you are, right back at you.'

During the first Trump term, Acosta frequently engaged in confrontational exchanges with the president while serving as CNN's Chief White House Correspondent.

In 2018, at a White House press conference, Trump told Acosta "That’s enough!" after Acosta persisted in asking questions.

The White House intern attempted to remove the microphone from the reporter's hand, but the reporter refused, resulting in a brief contact between them. In response, the White House revoked Acosta's press pass. However, a judge later ruled in favor of CNN, ordering the government to reinstate the pass.

During a briefing room question, Acosta quoted from the Statue of Liberty and criticized Kim Kardashian for meeting with Trump on prison reform as unserious. He also dramatically walked out of the room once when then-press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders wouldn't say the press wasn't the enemy of the people.

On Thursday, when questioned about Acosta's sign and its message to Trump, a CNN spokesperson stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that Acosta was emphasizing the significance of a free press, a value that all journalists and citizens should support.