Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta has been embroiled in a bitter feud with Fox News host Jesse Watters as they exchange blows over President Donald Trump

Jesse Watters was slammed by Jim Acosta (Image: AP)

Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta has hit back at Fox News host Jesse Watters following a heated war of words over President Donald Trump this week.

The two journalists clashed over the ongoing construction of the president’s White House ballroom. Acosta, 54, has drawn fire from Watters due to his on-air criticism of the project, and delivered a blistering response to his Fox News counterpart.

In a post on X dated October 29, Acosta unleashed on Watters, writing: “Rapidly aging Fox propagandist and outrage porn Star @JesseBWatters has a major crush on me. Two segments in the last week. Dude take a cold shower.”

He added: “The feeling will go away. Maybe Sean (Hannity) can give you a hug? Also less makeup. A little too Madame Tussauds.”

His comments referenced recent segments where Acosta faced accusations of turning the construction project into a political issue. Watters, 47, branded the controversy as “Ballroom Derangement Syndrome.”

On Jesse Watters Primetime last week he said: “The Democrats are fighting over a ballroom.

“Just like during COVID, CNN has a live tracker. Jim Acosta is camping outside the White House in tears. He’s just mad Trump’s building a big, beautiful thing during the [Chuck] Schumer shutdown, when the whole point of the shutdown is suffering.

“Republican presidents aren’t supposed to enjoy their presidencies. They’re supposed to be under siege and hounded out of town like scoundrels and constantly having to flip-flop and apologize and fire staff.”

Watters accused Acosta of having ‘Ballroom Derangement Syndrome’ (Image: Fox News)

He went on to say, “Not Trump. He’s making peace building big, beautiful things, tossing sombreros on their heads.”

In a separate segment last week, Watters showcased a photoshopped image of Acosta’s face superimposed on a baby’s body, captioned, “Baby Jim wins a TDS Award.”

TDS is an acronym used by conservatives to mock liberals who criticize Trump – it stands for Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Watters ridiculed Acosta on air (Image: Fox News)

Watters posted a video clip of Acosta and other critics speaking out against Trump’s construction project on Facebook, with the caption, “JUST IN: A new STRAIN OF TDS is SPREADING – Ballroom Derangement Syndrome.”

In the clip, originally posted to his Substack on October 22, Acosta can be seen stating that “he was at the scene of the crime” while standing outside the complex. The journalist, formerly the CNN White House correspondent, left that role in January when President Trump began his second term in office.

Watters had previously accused Acosta of trying to be “the Rosa Parks” of journalism following a viral incident in 2019 where he had his press pass revoked after a tussle with a White House intern over a microphone. Acosta responded at the time with a quip, “This from a lapdog for the White House.”