Who is Christopher Ruddy? A look at Newsmax CEO's alleged friendship with Donald Trump
Newsmax reportedly doesn’t want to become the seat of President Trump’s perspective media empire but the channel's CEO has now said that he wouldn’t turn down the chance to put him (Trump) on air once he’s out of office. The statement came after claims suggested that Newsmax will change to 'Trump TV' even though the CEO has denied any such action, his long-time friendship with Trump is no secret. Ruddy said Newsmax "would be open to talking to [Trump] about a weekly show" once he has left office January 20."He is going to be a political and media force after he leaves the White House," he had said.
Born on January 28, 1965, Christopher Ruddy, also known as Chris Ruddy, has been the CEO and the majority owner of Newsmax Media, which publishes Newsmax.com and broadcasts the Newsmax TV network. He is not just known for donning the commentator's hat but is also known for being an active Donald Trump commentator. In a February 2017 interview, he said, Trump "acts on the information he's hearing in the media and he adjusts course from time to time." But at the same time, careful not to give himself any credit, Ruddy praised Trump: "This is a guy who makes up his own mind, nobody tells him what to do."
According to a CNN report, "Ruddy's company is poised to benefit from his Trump relationship -- and vice versa. Newsmax is a profitable conservative media brand with websites, newsletters and a cable TV channel. The site leans right but Ruddy stresses that it is fair to all sides." In the 2017 report, it was mentioned that Ruddy's channel's biggest rival as Fox Channel bur now, as we see Trump's relationship getting sour with the Fox News, might be a green signal for their relationship to get even better.
In an interview on "Reliable Sources" in December 2016 Ruddy stated that Trump's election was a "tremendous opportunity" for his channel (Newsmax) "because Donald is raising questions about the mainstream media." Back in 2017, Ruddy has openly embraced the possibility that fired Fox News host Bill O'Reilly could come work for Newsmax. O'Reilly appeared as a guest on the channel last week and later started appearing on 'No Spin News'.
According to a 2017 report, "Ruddy played a key role in the conservative media's war against the Clinton administration," The Atlantic's Rosie Gray wrote earlier this year.
Ruddy's friendship with Trump is more intriguing as the two men have known each other for more than twenty years. Not just that, Ruddy has been a member of Trump's Mar-a-Lago club for about 13 years now. Ruddy allegedly spoke with Trump repeatedly during the presidential transition last 2016, establishing him as a so-called "Friend of Trump" in the press. After that segment on "Reliable Sources" in December 2016, Trump called and "thanked Ruddy for defending him," according to an account in Page Six.
In an interview with Politico in March 2017, Ruddy praised POTUS by saying, "He understands the news cycle. ... It's an opportunity to get out news on a Saturday when other news organizations aren't pushing too much new. He realizes that Saturday is a free media day for him." The news story called Ruddy a Mar-a-Lago member and longtime friend of Trump's.
Now, according to the latest reports Ruddy has stated that, "I’ve known the president for a long time. I’ve always kept the friendship separate from the editorial judgment.” He said the company's website has had articles the president wouldn’t like, and the cable channel has had guests the president wouldn’t like as well. Even though he has made these claims, the channel has still not addressed Joe Biden as the President-elect yet.