Jim Acosta, a CNN anchor who earned a reputation for being a top Donald Trump critic during his first presidency, announced on Tuesday that he was leaving the network after nearly 20 years and left viewers with the parting message to “hold on to truth and hope”.

Acosta shared his decision at the end of his 10am show, which will mark his final for CNN.

“I’m grateful to CNN for the nearly 18 years I’ve spent here doing the news.” He went on express gratitude for the stories he’s had the opportunity to cover, including questioning the former Cuban president Raúl Castro.

The decision to leave the network comes just days after a timing conflict for his show sparked a dispute at the network. He chose to step down from his role after clashing with CNN because of a decision to move the show to midnight, according to reporting from the New York Times.

Acosta is well known for an unrelenting approach to challenging the Trump administration from both the newsroom and from the perches of the White House press room.

“Jim has had a long, distinguished nearly 20-year career at CNN, with a track record of standing up to authority, for the first amendment and for our journalistic freedoms,” the network said in a statement. “We want to thank him for the dedication and commitment he’s brought to his reporting and wish him the very best in the future.”

The time slot formerly occupied by Acosta is set to be replaced by a program anchored by longtime network hosts Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown.

In a Truth Social post Tuesday, Trump called Acosta’s decision “good news” and one of the “worst and most dishonest reporters in journalistic history”.

Acosta did not mention any changes in the editorial direction at CNN being a factor in his decision, despite many noticing a broader shift in tone for Trump coverage across cable news.

“One final message – don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear,” the anchor told viewers in his departing words.

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