CNN Newsroom host Jim Acosta reacted to the news that President-elect Donald Trump intends to nominate Fox Business host and former congressman Sean Duffy for Secretary of Transportation by scoffing that “this is becoming, kind of, a Fox cabinet.”

Speaking with reporter Alayna Treene, Acosta declared, “Yeah, he's really testing these Republican senators to see whether or not they're going to disobey, and Trump also unveiling more cabinet picks, including Transportation Secretary, yet another Fox host. This is becoming, kind of, a Fox cabinet.”

 

 

Does that mean that Joe Biden has a CNN administration? After all, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and former press secretary turned MSNBC host Jen Psaki used to be CNN talking heads.

As for Treene, she agreed, “It is. It's a little bit of a pattern. I mean, obviously, Pete Hegseth, his pick for the Department of Defense, was a Fox News host as well. I mean, Sean Duffy, a Republican, a former Republican congressman from Wisconsin. I think it is most notable that he has been on Fox News a lot. He hosted a show on Fox Business.”

She added, “The thing I hear behind the scenes is that Donald Trump, and it kind of reminds me of what he did in the lead up to his vice presidential pick, is he was watching these people that he is choosing for these top roles on television. He very much wants people who are going to be defending him on TV, but–”

Acosta interrupted to clarify, “That's not hyperbole. He's literally doing it.”

Treene then continued, “He is literally watching this behind the scenes and helping make these decisions. And he also wants people who will be attack dogs for him on television as well and people who will be able to talk about what they're doing. That's why someone like Sean Duffy was appealing, I'm told, for that role.”

In other words, Trump wants his version of current DOT chief Pete Buttigieg, who is always sharing his opinions on TV or social media about everything, even things that have nothing to do with transportation. Except, Duffy might actually go on TV to focus on transportation instead of liberal culture war issues.

Here is a transcript for the November 19 show:

CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta

11/19/2024

10:11 AM ET

JIM ACOSTA: Yeah, he's really testing these Republican senators—

ALAYNA TREENE: Yes.

ACOSTA: — to see whether or not they're going to disobey, and Trump also unveiling more cabinet picks, including Transportation Secretary, yet another Fox host. This is becoming, kind of, a Fox cabinet.

TREENE: It is. It's a little bit of a pattern. I mean, obviously, Pete Hegseth, his pick for the Department of Defense, was a Fox News host as well. I mean, Sean Duffy, a Republican, a former Republican congressman from Wisconsin. I think it is most notable that he has been on Fox News a lot. He hosted a show on Fox Business.

The thing I hear behind the scenes is that Donald Trump, and it kind of reminds me of what he did in the lead up to his vice presidential pick, is he was watching these people that he is choosing for these top roles on television. He very much wants people who are going to be defending him on TV, but –

ACOSTA: That's not hyperbole. He's literally doing it.

TREENE: He is literally watching this behind the scenes and helping make these decisions. And he also wants people who will be attack dogs for him on television as well and people who will be able to talk about what they're doing. That's why someone like Sean Duffy was appealing, I'm told, for that role.