Trump Erupts After Tasteless Joke About Late Ex
Jim Acosta speaking at a campaign rally for Donald Trump at the South Point Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, 2016. Photo by Gage Skidmore under CC BY-SA 2.0.
It was a punchline that landed like a slap — and the White House wasted no time striking back.
On Monday, June 16, former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta, never shy about skewering Donald Trump, delivered a jaw-dropping joke about the late Ivana Trump during an appearance on "The Contrarian" podcast. Within hours, the West Wing branded him a "disgraceful human being," according to the New York Post — and the clip was already igniting headlines and outrage across the country.
'One Buried at His Golf Course'
Acosta appeared alongside Jennifer Rubin and reporter April Ryan in a fiery episode marking "No Kings" Day. Between laughs, the former White House correspondent slammed Trump's immigration policies — and dragged his personal life into the fray.
"Where are the ICE raids at the Trump properties? Could somebody call ICE on the Trump golf course in Virginia?" Acosta asked, according to the New York Post. "You're telling me there's nobody in there that is undocumented or has some kind of squirreliness going on with their paperwork? Give me a break."
Then came the line that detonated the conversation.
"How many immigrants has he married? He's got one buried at his golf course in New Jersey! Isn't she buried by the first hole or the second tee or something like that?" Acosta quipped, as Rubin and Ryan laughed, according to Fox News.
He followed it up with a bitter punchline: "Immigrants always doing the jobs that Americans don't want to do!"
The White House Fires Back
If Acosta expected his comments to go unnoticed, he miscalculated.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wasted no time responding to the clip, telling Fox News Digital, "Jim Acosta is a disgraceful human being."
Ivana Trump, mother to Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump, died in 2022 and is buried at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Her grave sits just off the course — a quiet resting place now thrust back into the spotlight by Acosta's remarks.
A Career of Clashes
For Acosta, this dust-up is hardly his first. The longtime CNN reporter became infamous during Trump's first term for his combative exchanges with the president, frequently blurring the line between reporting and editorializing. Since leaving CNN earlier this year, he's continued his fiery commentary as an independent voice.
According to the New York Post, Acosta remains "stridently left-wing," and this latest barb suggests he's not about to mellow anytime soon.
A Divisive Moment
Social media lit up within minutes of the podcast clip surfacing. Trump supporters slammed the comments as vile and disrespectful to Ivana's memory, while critics of the former president defended Acosta's broader point about hypocrisy and immigration.
Even seasoned journalists debated whether the joke crossed a line — or simply revealed another uncomfortable truth about the intersection of Trump's personal and political worlds.
But as the White House doubled down on its condemnation and Acosta leaned into his persona, one thing became clear: the battle lines remain firmly drawn.
The Resting Place at Bedminster
Ivana's burial at Trump’s Bedminster golf club was controversial from the beginning. In 2022, critics questioned whether the site was chosen for personal or tax-related reasons, though Trump insisted it was simply what she would have wanted.
The grave itself is marked with a modest headstone and sits near the course's fairways — a detail Acosta exploited with his joke about her being "by the first hole or the second tee."
Where This Leaves Jim Acosta
While Acosta has not issued a statement since the backlash, his reputation as one of Trump's fiercest media critics remains intact — perhaps even bolstered.
For Trump, the episode underscores how even in death, Ivana's name still carries emotional and political weight.
And for the rest of us? Just another shocking chapter in the long, strange saga of Trump, his family, and the people who dare to speak about them.
References: White House condemns Jim Acosta after he jokes about Trump's dead ex-wife: 'Disgraceful human being' | White House condemns Jim Acosta as 'disgraceful human being' after he jokes about Trump's dead ex-wife
