Let’s be honest. Is Jake Tapper or anything about CNN — the self-proclaimed Most Trusted Name in News — newsworthy? Of course, not. Whatever relevance CNN once had as a legitimate news outlet was destroyed from within, years ago. Jake Tapper and his fellow left-wing lapdogs were largely to blame.

So why cover them at all?

Multiple reasons, most of which fall into the “stomping on the grave” category. From the demise of CEO Jeff Zucker due to an “inappropriate workplace relationship” to the “instant gratification needs” of Jeffrey Toobin to the fall of arrogant Chris Cuomo to the ousting of Mr. Potato Head Brian Stelter and John Harwood, the 24-hour news network founded by Ted Turner deserves every minute of the “We told you so” ridicule. Even more so because CNN’s new boss Chris Licht was brought in to save the sinking ship after it already sank.

Finally, in the (previously) latest move, hopelessly biased Don Lemon was removed from his primetime gig and booted to a new morning show, which Lemon laughable insisting he wasn’t demoted.

So now, the real popcorn time has begun.

As reported by the New York Post, beginning this fall, as part of CNN’s new line-up, Jake Tapper will host CNN’s nightly 9 p.m. primetime TV broadcast — the coveted slot formerly occupied by the disgraced Cuomo — in the biggest change at the all-news cable network since Licht assumed the helm months ago.

You might recall how Tapper gleefully made a living beating the all-things Donald Trump drum for five years or more — to the extent that “Saturday Night Live” parodied his battles with Trump senior advisor Kellyanne Conway, who, to her credit, was more than willing to do battle with the hopelessly biased host on a regular basis.

Welp, a funny thing happened to ol’ Jake after Licht’s arrival, as his pals have fallen, one by one. The shift has been gradual but noticeable from the beginning: Jake was desperate to save his head from the chopping block and apparently willing to compromise his pretend principles to save it.

Just one problem.

CNN regulars, as was the case with Fox News regulars who became incensed every time a host dared to utter anything negative about Donald Trump, have been beside themselves with anger since Licht first began to follow through on his pledge to return CNN to a legitimate news outlet rather than a left-wing Democrat mouthpiece. As Tapper began to sell his soul to save his ass, the attacks began in earnest, blistering Tapper and CNN over the move — and it couldn’t be more satisfying to watch unfold.

Tapper will host a one-hour show at 9 p.m. beginning on Oct. 10 and through the midterm elections in early November, which the network says is temporary but come on. If his ratings are positive, why wouldn’t the move become permanent, particularly given Licht’s overall objective? It would and it will — unless the viewership revolt boils over.

Licht of course sang Tapper’s praises, ridiculously telling (lying) to Hollywood Reporter on Thursday that “the world has come to rely on Jake’s no-nonsense approach to covering the news, especially during high-stakes election cycles,” adding, Jake’s “tough reporting, smart analysis, and consequential interviews as our audiences navigate the myriad of issues at stake in the midterms,” as noted by The Post.

The dude made Jake Tapper sound like Walter Cronkite.

CNN viewers were livid, with some claiming the shift in Tapper’s left-leaning reporting to more “centrist and conservative-friendly takes” amounts to “pandering” and “kissing up” to his new bosses — which is exactly what the “trying to save his own skin” host has been desperately trying to do. Another source who formerly worked for Tapper described him as “very ambitious” and “very hard-working,” with a “healthy ego.” I don’t know about the first two attributes but the “healthy ego” thing, no question.

One ticked-off viewer tweeted:

Getting promoted for kissing up to the new right-wing/Trumper overlords eh Jake?

A bit of stretch, pal.

Getting promoted for kissing up to the new right wing/Trumper overlords eh Jake?

— Jason – Bison Brewski F (@BisonBrewski) September 22, 2022

Whined another:

Don’t watch Jake Tapper on CNN. Just don’t. He’s taking the lead with Chris Licht as reputation defenders of Trump and MAGA.

All of these people are totally clueless as to their irredeemable bias and insistence on only being told what they want to hear. Hmmm…

Don’t watch Jake Tapper on CNN. Just don’t. He’s taking the lead with Chris Licht as reputation defenders of Trump and MAGA.

— Lorenzo (@Mile_Marker_0) September 22, 2022

Another liberal viewer wrote on Twitter: “Jake drank the kool-aid,” and still another: “This isn’t journalism; this is pandering to the new boss,” “I assumed you were one of the good ones,” summed it up. And by “one of the good ones,” the viewer meant, as I suggested, above:

“You told us exactly what we wanted to hear and now you’re pathetically biased for attempting to be ‘fair and balanced’ — another network’s slogan has by and large become meaningless.

Here are a few of Tapper’s most grievous transgressions, via the Post:

[U]nder Licht, the anchor has recently made some uncharacteristic overtures to the right, including suggesting that President Biden invite Trump to join the American delegation to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London.

In May, Tapper raised eyebrows when he cut off a White House adviser who blamed high gasoline prices on Vladimir Putin. And last month, he shared an article on Twitter written by Salena Zito, a conservative columnist for the New York Post and the Washington Examiner, about the race for the US Senate seat in Pennsylvania.

Tapper also retweeted Ivanka Trump’s endorsement of “Breaking History” penned by her husband, Jared Kushner. The book was eviscerated by the Times and other reviewers, and the tweet caused some outlets to wonder if Tapper’s account had been hacked.

A CNN spokesman tried to have it both ways:

Jake was not ‘promoted.’ He agreed to anchor the 9p-hour for one month as part of a special programming schedule. He has always been an aggressive reporter and a tough but fair interviewer who calls out nonsense and lies, regardless of their source. He has not been asked to change nor would he. Anyone who actually watches CNN knows that.

That could very well be true — that Tapper hasn’t been asked to change. He might be a lot of things, but stupid, he isn’t. Watching his comrades fall, one by one, with likely more to fall, CNN’s top chameleon has simply changed colors — for as long as necessary to save his job at “The Most Trusted Name in News.”

Tapper was unavailable for comment.