Chistopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax Media, a conservative multimedia platform that supported President Donald Trump’s allegations of voter fraud, said in an interview that Trump should allow competition when states justify their choices.
A conversation with Isaac Chotiner, which The New Yorker on Tuesday, Ruddy discussed his close relationship with Trump and how Newsmax chose to support the president in the post-election news cycle.
But on the question of whether the conservative media would support Trump’s attempt to overthrow the verified election results, Ruddy said he didn’t.
“I think Donald Trump should allow it when the certificates come in,” he said, adding that “he would not support state legislators going to overthrow the electorate.”
On Tuesday, Pennsylvania became the latest state to validate Joe Biden’s election results, formally appointing the former vice president as the winner of the state’s 20 election votes. This certificate is 306 votes ahead of Biden, compared to Trump’s 232 votes.
Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty
While Trump’s allegations of voter fraud have repeatedly failed to hold back in state courts, Ruddy defended Newsmax’s editorial decision to support the president in taking legal action.
“I think questioning and putting the ballot papers to justice is just as sensible as when Al Gore did it in the 2000 election,” he said. “I think the mail has opened up the possibility of voter fraud and manipulation beyond what we’ve seen in previous years. And I think that’s the crux of the problem, and why Republicans feel like these elections have been ‘stolen.'” he added.
A Newsmax spokesman confirmed Newsweek to call the winner of the states that Trump disputed on the basis of certificates.
“The position of Newsmax and Mr. Ruddy is that it was an extremely tight choice, 1% or less in 5 states where the president disputes the result and asks for a recount. We believe he has a right to it, and we have said several times that after the recount, based on the certificates, we call the winner of these states, “wrote Anthony Rizzo, an” information specialist “at Newsmax. Newsweek by e-mail.
Chotiner persuaded Ruddy that he thought Trump was demanding voter fraud regardless of the election results.
Ruddy replied that if “Biden wins with numbers that told us he would win, Donald Trump wouldn’t have had much of an argument to claim voter fraud,” and voiced his displeasure with the Electoral College.
“It would have been better for the country if the election had been decided with a bigger mandate. I’m not a big fan of the Electoral College. I think the Electoral College is a mirage for conservatives. Once Texas goes and / or Florida, it’s going to be a nightmare. for Republicans, “he said. “I think it’s better if the president is popularly elected, and that Republicans should start thinking about appealing to a national vote and not trying to reach smaller groups and smaller states,” he added.
If the president were elected by referendum, Joe Biden would have won 6 million more votes than Trump. Although votes are still counted, Biden has received 80 million popular votes so far, compared to Trump’s 74 million.
Ruddy’s statements come at a time when Trump and other conservative press bodies continue to urge the narrative that the election was stolen due to widespread voter fraud, despite substantiating their claim.
On Monday, the General Services Directorate began the official transition of the presidency to the Biden-Harris administration. In response, Trump tweeted that he supports the GSA’s decision, but continues to fight in court.
“Our case continues STRONG, we continue to fight the good … and I think we will prevail! Nevertheless, in the interest of our country, I suggest that Emily and her team do what needs to be done for the initial protocols, and they told my team that do the same, “he wrote.
To date, at least 34 cases for Trump’s legal team have been dismissed or lost in post-election lawsuits. On Monday, Pennsylvania dismissed five more cases.
