Abilio James Acosta (born April 17, 1971) is an American broadcast journalist. From 2007 to 2025, he worked for CNN. He served as CNN's chief White House correspondent during the Obama and first Trump administrations, in which he gained national attention for his clashes with President Donald Trump at press briefings. In January 2021, Acosta was appointed CNN's anchor and chief domestic correspondent. On January 28, 2025, Acosta made his final broadcast on CNN after rejecting a different time slot for his CNN Newsroom show.

Acosta's father arrived in the United States at age 11 as a refugee from Santa María del Rosario, Cuba, three weeks before the Cuban Missile Crisis. His ancestors were originally from the Canary Islands. Acosta's mother is of Irish and Czech ancestry. Acosta was raised in Virginia and graduated from Annandale High School in 1989. In 1993, he earned a bachelor's degree in mass communication, with a minor in political science, from James Madison University. While in school, Acosta volunteered for WXJM, the student-run radio station. He also worked as a reporter at WSVA, a local radio station owned and operated by Saga Communications. He got married in 1999 to Sharon Mobley Stow, a registered nurse, and the couple had two children. They divorced in 2017.

Acosta began his professional career in radio, and his first job was with WMAL in Washington, DC. In 1994, Acosta left WMAL and entered television, working for Fox affiliate WTTG-TV as a desk assistant. In 1995, Acosta moved in front of the camera, becoming a reporter and substitute anchor at NBC affiliate WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee, and remained in that job until 1998.

From 1998 until 2000, Acosta worked as a reporter for CBS affiliate KTVT-TV in Fort Worth. From 2000 until 2001, Acosta was a reporter for WBBM-TV in Chicago. From 2001 until 2003, Acosta worked as a correspondent for CBS News' Newspath service, based both in Dallas and Chicago. From February 2003 until March 2007, Acosta was a correspondent for CBS News and was based first in New York City and then in Atlanta.

At CBS News, Acosta covered the 2004 campaign of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, the Iraq War from Baghdad, and Hurricane Katrina. In April 2007, Acosta joined CNN. During the following year, Acosta covered the 2008 presidential campaigns of Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, frequently appearing as an anchor of CNN's weekend political program, Ballot Bowl. Acosta later joined CNN's American Morning program as a correspondent and contributed to the network's coverage of the 2010 midterm elections.

In February 2012, CNN promoted Acosta to the position of national political correspondent. In his role as national political correspondent, Acosta was the network's lead correspondent in covering the 2012 presidential campaign of Republican nominee Mitt Romney. He was then the senior White House correspondent for CNN. At a nationally televised news conference in November 2015, Acosta challenged President Obama on his administration's strategy for destroying the terrorist organization known as ISIS. "Why can't we take out these bastards?" Acosta asked.

Acosta traveled to Cuba in March 2016 to cover President Obama's historic trip to the island. At a rare news conference in Havana featuring both Obama and Cuban president Raúl Castro, Acosta pressed the Cuban leader on his country's human-rights record.

Acosta was promoted to chief White House correspondent on January 9, 2018.