'I lost 20 retailers and it's cost me $65 MILLION': MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell admits he will make staggering losses this year after boycott of his firm over his election fraud claims - as he's hit with $1.3bn Dominion defamation suit
Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, said he expects to lose $65 million in revenue this year, after his company was boycotted by retailers over his unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud.
Lindell, 59, was sued by Dominion Voting Systems for $1.3 billion on Monday in a defamation lawsuit, in response to his continued claim that the election was stolen, and Dominion's machines switched Donald Trump's votes.
In the suit Lindell was accused of making the wild claims in a bid to appear more frequently on television, and promote his company.
Mike Lindell was sued by Dominion Voting Systems on Monday and is facing a boycott
Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, said that a boycott of his pillows would cost him $65 million
Dominion Voting Systems, pictured in Georgia, were accused by Lindell of switching votes
'Lindell — a talented salesman and former professional card counter — sells the lie to this day because the lie sells pillows,' Tom Clare, the defamation attorney representing Dominion Voting Systems, wrote in the lawsuit.
On Monday, Lindell told Insider that he was instead facing huge losses, as a result of his claims.
'I lost 20 retailers, and it's cost me $65 million this year that I won't get back, OK?' Lindell said.
'There's your story. Print it right. Don't try and twist this.'
Dominion alleges in the lawsuit that the conspiracy theories are a platform for Lindell to sell more pillows.
'After hitting the jackpot with Donald Trump's endorsement for MyPillow and after a million-dollar bet on Fox News ads had paid out handsome returns, Michael Lindell exploited another chance to boost sales: marketing MyPillow to people who would tune in and attend rallies to hear Lindell tell the 'Big Lie' that Dominion had stolen the 2020 election,' Clare wrote.
Lindell advertises his company, MyPillow, extensively on cable news channels
Lindell rubbished the suggestion that he had a 'preconceived plan' to make money from the election fraud controversy.
He said that the retailer boycott from brands like Kohl's and Bed Bath & Beyond has cost him tens of millions of dollars in revenue.
'Those stores combined did $65 million in business last year. And now I won't have them this year, or any year,' he said.
'They're done.'
He added: 'When I'm boycotted, people tend to buy more pillows — at least in the short term.
'I always get a little lift for a couple of days when they attack the company. But now this time is different.'
Lindell, who is long rumored to be eying a political career himself, met with Trump in the Oval Office, taking notes with him suggesting the president declare martial law.
Lindell then produced and funded a two-hour 'docu-movie' called Absolute Proof.
Lindell and Trump are pictured during a Made In America event at the White House in 2017
YouTube and Vimeo pulled Absolute Proof from their platforms due to policies regarding the sharing of election misinformation.
Throughout the movie, Lindell offers no proof of the claims he makes, including the unsubstantiated allegations that Dominion software was manipulated to delete votes for Trump.
According to Lindell, Absolute Proof has been viewed more than 110 million times, though he declined to offer evidence for those viewership numbers.
This year's Super Bowl had around 96 million viewers.
Mike Lindell, CEO of My Pillow, stands outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 15, 2021. A closeup of his notes revealed tense topics ranging from martial law to the Insurrection Act and the leadership of the CIA
A Washington Post photographer snagged an image of Lindell's notes, which he did not conceal outside the West Wing
Lindell told Insider he welcomes the lawsuit from Dominion.
'I am happy that I got served the papers today,' Lindell said, adding that he had a team of lawyers already working on his case.
Dominion have also sued Trump's lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, and a rival company, Smartmatic, has similarly sued Fox News for their allegations that they switched votes.
'I'm not a stupid person,' said Lindell.
'I have a huge company that I built from scratch. I'm an ex-addict, and I'm not going to back down from some big billion-dollar company that's trying to steal our country.
'All I want is this election now. I don't care how much money it costs me.'
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