Former CNN stalwart Jim Acosta ruthlessly trolled President Donald Trump on a sunny Monday afternoon, delivering a withering in-person review of the Great American State Fair, where Acosta could barely contain his glee at the near-empty spectacle and “shoddy” construction.
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Videoing himself from the National Mall, Acosta pulled no punches.
“If you’re looking for a place with really no lines whatsoever, then you better come down to the mall,” he said with a grin.
After a small dig at a miniature version of Trump’s Triumphal Arch — “Isn’t that cute?” — Acosta continued to take swipe after swipe at the lackluster lines.
“As you can see, no line to get in. It’s 1 o’clock in the afternoon, we’re on the National Mall, probably the nicest weather of the week, and there are no lines to get in. Hardly anybody in line,” he mocked.
His tour added to days of grim crowd reviews, with one critic saying he’d “seen more people at my local diner.”
“Surely there must be a long line for the Ferris Wheel. It’s the big attraction down here. Let’s take a look. Oh boy,” Acosta deadpanned, showing empty queue lines. He made a similar assessment of a burger venue at the fair.
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The marquee Ferris wheel has been a recurring sore spot, with commentators saying the fair is falling apart “at the seams” after it lost power and shut down one evening.
Acosta wasn’t finished.
He turned his gaze on what he called “shoddy” construction of the mini arch.
“Look at this,” he said, pointing to massive gaps between the bottom of the arch’s faux columns and the ground. “There’s a huge gap.”
Acosta estimated the gaps were up to 3 feet in length.
Later in the scorching review, Acosta poked fun at the number of people listening to a fossil fuel panel.
“And there’s nobody listening. Just a few people,” he said. “Weird.”
The sparse scene has dogged the event all weekend, with Trump allies at one point reduced to insisting the empty fairgrounds were packed.
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Shoddy displays and tiny crowds. But lots of Trump worship. Sad. My report from Trump’s Great American State Fair down on the National Mall. pic.twitter.com/IfUpNMZMVY
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 29, 2026
