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Mike Lindell

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Mike Lindell
Lindell in 2020
Born
Michael James Lindell

(1961-06-28) June 28, 1961 (age 63)
Mankato, Minnesota, U.S.
Occupation(s)Founder and CEO of My Pillow
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Dallas Yocum
​
​
(m. 2013; div. 2013)​
Children4[1]
Websitemichaeljlindell.com

Michael James Lindell[3] (born June 28, 1961) is an American businessman and major funder of seditious efforts to overturn the legitimate election of Joseph R. Biden in 2020. He is the founder and CEO of My Pillow, Inc.,[4][1][5] and is sometimes referred to as "the My Pillow guy".[6]

Early life and career

Lindell was born on June 28, 1961, in Mankato, Minnesota. He was raised in Chaska and Carver, Minnesota.[4] He went to the University of Minnesota but dropped out shortly after starting.[7]

Lindell launched and operated a number of small businesses in the 1980s including carpet cleaning, lunch wagons, and a few bars and restaurants in Carver County, Minnesota.[1][4] During the 1980s and 1990s, Lindell was addicted to cocaine, crack cocaine, and alcohol, leading to the foreclosure of his house, and his wife filing for divorce. Lindell stated that he achieved sobriety through prayer in 2009 and has been clean since then.[4][8][9]

MyPillow

Lindell invented the MyPillow pillow in 2004 and grew the business into a major Minnesota manufacturing company.[7][10] The company laid off 150 employees in 2019.[11] Citing possible future political ambitions, Lindell named his son Darren as the company's chief operating officer.[11]

In 2016, Lindell's My Pillow company was sued in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland, California, for running ads with false claims of the pillow helping with snoring, fibromyalgia, migraines and other medical conditions. Prosecutors in nine California counties brought the charges against the misleading infomercials.[12] MyPillow settled for about $1 million, while admitting no wrongdoing.[12]

In 2017, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) revoked accreditation of MyPillow, lowering its rating to an F based on a pattern of complaints by consumers. The BBB cited a Buy One, Get One offer that became a continuous offer and therefore the normal price of the product, not a sale price or free offer.[13] In a statement, Lindell said, "Naturally, I am terribly disappointed by the BBB's decision."[13]

Political activities

In August 2016, Lindell met with then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump,[4][14][15] and became an avid supporter, calling Trump "the most amazing president this country has ever seen in history", following his 2016 election.[16] In a speech at Liberty University in August 2019, Lindell said "When I met with Donald Trump, it felt like a divine appointment, and when I walked out of that office I decided I was going to go all in."[17][18]

On October 19, 2016, Lindell attended the final presidential debate in Las Vegas.[19] He spoke at a Trump campaign rally in Minneapolis on November 6, 2016, and attended the Official Donald Watch Party on November 8. He attended Trump's inauguration, and Trump gave him an inauguration lapel pin as a personal gift.[16][20][14]

In 2017, Lindell sat next to Trump at an industry roundtable event at the White House.[21][22][4][15]

At a rally in Fargo, North Dakota on June 27, 2018, Trump complimented Lindell for his "business acumen."[23] Lindell spoke at a Trump rally on October 4, 2018, in Rochester, Minnesota.[24] Lindell spoke at the 2019 Conservative Political Action Conference, in which he promoted Trump as "the greatest president in history"[25] and "chosen by God."[11]

In a March 2020 appearance on Fox News, Lindell said that his company's bedding factories had been refocused on face mask production at the behest of the Trump administration. Later that month, Lindell appeared with Trump at a White House coronavirus press conference, at which Lindell praised Trump: "God gave us grace on November 8, 2016, to change the course we were on. God had been taken out of our schools and lives, a nation had turned its back on God. I encourage you to use this time at home to get back in the word. Read our Bible and spend time with our families."[26]

Lindell has considered running for governor of Minnesota in 2022 against Democratic incumbent Tim Walz,[11][27] reportedly at Trump's urging.[11] He attended a Republican Governors Association meeting, at which he was encouraged to run.[11] In May 2020, he became the campaign chair for Trump's reelection campaign in Minnesota.[27] In July 2020, Lindell said he was "99% sure" about running for Minnesota governor.[28]

In November 2020, Lindell was identified as among those who paid for the bail of Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse.[29]

Promotion of unproven COVID-19 "cure"

Further information: Misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic and List of unproven methods against COVID-19

In White House meetings with Trump and public appearances, Lindell has promoted a plant extract, oleandrin, as a "cure" for COVID-19, saying, "This thing works – it's the miracle of all time."[30] In a television appearance, Lindell made a misleading statement about the testing of the substance.[30] Lindell has a financial stake in Phoenix Biotechnology, a company that makes oleandrin, and sits on its board.[30] Lindell's unsubstantiated claims alarmed scientists, since there is no scientific evidence that oleandrin is a safe or effective coronavirus treatment, and since the plant is poisonous at low doses.[30][31][32][33] After the efforts by Lindell and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson to promote oleandrin, Trump said his administration would "look at" the substance.[30]

Attempts to overturn 2020 election

See also: Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election

After Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election, Lindell played a significant role in supporting and financing Trump's attempts to overturn the election result.[34]

Following the election, Lindell, in multiple tweets and statements, called for some voters in Georgia, which collectively voted against Trump, to be imprisoned and for Trump to impose "martial law" in seven states.[35]

In late 2020 and early 2021, Lindell sponsored a series of events that sought to challenge the election result and encourage attendance at the January 6 rally that was followed by the storming of the U.S. Capitol.[34] On January 6, Lindell spoke at the rally. Following the Capitol storming, Lindell was among those who advanced the conspiracy theory that people associated with antifa were responsible for the attack, saying they were probably there "dressed as Trump people".[36]

On January 15, 2021, Lindell entered the West Wing of the White House bearing a document that appeared to refer to martial law and the Insurrection Act, per an enhanced photo.[37][38]

Lindell was a participant in a conspiracy theory among Trump supporters falsely alleging that voting machine company Smartmatic and its competitor Dominion Voting Systems had conspired with foreign powers to rig voting machines to steal the election from Trump. Dominion sent Lindell a letter in January 2021 stating, "You have positioned yourself as a prominent leader of the ongoing misinformation campaign" and that "Litigation regarding these issues is imminent." Lindell told The New York Times, "I would really welcome them to sue me because I have all the evidence against them." Lindell was one of several parties receiving similar letters from the two companies, including Trump attorney Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani associate Mellissa Carone, Newsmax and Fox News, which aired retractions during three of its programs. Dominion later sued Powell seeking $1.3 billion in damages.[39][40][41][42]

Personal life

Lindell has been married twice. His first marriage was for about 20 years.[43] He married second wife Dallas Yocum in June 2013 and filed for divorce in mid-July 2013 after she left him. Lindell stated that they had a prenuptial agreement.[44][45]

Lindell is an evangelical Christian[8] and received an honorary Doctor of Business from Liberty University in 2019.[46]

Philanthropy and faith-based recovery advocacy

Lindell created a faith-based foundation entitled Lindell Foundation. The company and foundation donated 60,000 pillows to victims of Hurricane Harvey in 2017.[47] The foundation's focus was then broadened to helping people with addictions, cancer victims, and veterans.[8][48]

Lindell created the Lindell Recovery Network as a way to connect those struggling with drug addictions to Christian recovery organizations.[49][50][51]

Works

  • Mike Lindell (2019). What Are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO. Minnesota: Lindell Publishing. ISBN 978-1-7342-8341-9.[27]

References

  1. ^ a b c Dean, Josh (January 11, 2017). "The Preposterous Success Story of America's Pillow King". Bloomberg Businessweek. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  2. ^ Bond, Paul (November 21, 2018). "Multimillionaire Trump Fan and Fox News Advertiser Jumps Into Film Financing". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  3. ^ "My Pillow, Inc". Dun & Bradstreet. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Wells, Jane (September 20, 2017). "How this entrepreneur went from a crack addict to a self-made multimillionaire". CNBC. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  5. ^ Betsy Klein (November 4, 2018). "How the MyPillow guy became a midterm messenger". CNN. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  6. ^ Martin, Jeffery (March 30, 2020). "'My Pillow' trends after MyPillow founder urges Americans to focus on religion during White House coronavirus briefing". Newsweek. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Hutton, Rachel (September 2, 2018). "Mike Lindell's fitful journey from crack addict to MyPillow magnate". StarTribune. Star Tribune. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  8. ^ a b c "'My Pillow' founder opens up about addiction". Salvation Army. December 29, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  9. ^ Roosevelt, Ava (Fall 2017). "The Most Seen Man on TV and His Novel Notion on Giving". Philanthropy. International Opulence. pp. 126–127. Retrieved September 29, 2017.[dead link]
  10. ^ "The story of the My Pillow king". CBS News. July 29, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Daniel Lippman & Tina Nguyen (March 30, 2020). "Trump has been nudging MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to run for office". Politico.
  12. ^ a b NBC Los Angeles (November 4, 2016). "MyPillow Fined $1M for Phony Ads". NBCLosAngeles.com. KNBC. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  13. ^ a b KARE-TV (January 4, 2017). "MyPillow accreditation revoked by the Better Business Bureau". USA Today. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Williams, Nick (January 20, 2017). "What MyPillow's CEO got from Donald Trump at the inauguration". Minneapolis/St Paul Business Journal. Minneapolis, Minnesota: American City Business Journals. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  15. ^ a b Lindell, Michael J. (July 24, 2017). "Mike Lindell: Here's why Made in America really will help make America great again". Fox News. New York City: News Corp. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  16. ^ a b "Web Extra: Mike Lindell Speaks At Trump Rally". CBS Minnesota. CBS Broadcasting Inc. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  17. ^ Klinker, Ryan. "MyPillow founder Mike Lindell gifts students with pillows and message of God's grace". Liberty University. Liberty University News Service. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  18. ^ Mehta, Hemant. "Liberty University Students Just Got $600,000 Worth of MyPillow Products". Friendly Atheist. Patheos. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  19. ^ "Live Reaction to Pres Debate". Facebook - Fox Business. Facebook. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  20. ^ "MyPillow CEO on attending 'surreal' Trump party". KARE 11. KARE-TV. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  21. ^ "Made in America Roundtable". Whitehouse.gov. United States Government. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  22. ^ "MyPillow CEO Featured In White House Event With Trump, Paulsen". CBS Minnesota. Minneapolis, Minnesota: CBS Broadcasting Inc. July 19, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  23. ^ Fernandez, Henry (June 27, 2018). "Trump: 'MyPillow guy' should be my ad buyer". FOXBusiness. New York City: News Corp. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  24. ^ "Live: Thousands gather for President Trump's Rochester rally". Star-Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Star Tribune Media Company. October 4, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  25. ^ "My Pillow founder Mike Lindell: Donald Trump was 'chosen by God' to run for president". Washington Times. March 1, 2019.
  26. ^ Casiano, Louis (March 30, 2020). "MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, at White House coronavirus briefing, tells people to pray during crisis". Fox News. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  27. ^ a b c Terris, Ben (May 27, 2020). "Is the MyPillow guy the future of the Republican Party, or is he just dreaming?". The Washington Post.
  28. ^ Tupper, Seth (July 4, 2020). "In Rapid City, My Pillow CEO Says He's '99 Percent Sure' About Running For Minnesota Governor". South Dakota Public Broadcasting.
  29. ^ Casiano, Louis (November 20, 2020). "Attorney: My Pillow founder Mike Lindell paid part of bail for teen charged in Kenosha shooting". KMSP-TV.
  30. ^ a b c d e Heather Murphy, Drug Pitched to Trump for Covid-19 Comes From a Deadly Plant, New York Times (August 20, 2020).
  31. ^ Oleandrin: Trump allies pitch extract from poisonous plant to fight Covid, The Guardian (August 25, 2020).
  32. ^ Jonathan Swan (August 17, 2020). "Trump eyes new unproven coronavirus "cure"". Axios. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  33. ^ Lauren Frias (August 17, 2020). "Trump reportedly pushing new unproven coronavirus treatment that is also embraced by HUD Sec. Ben Carson and MyPillow's Mike Lindell". Business Insider. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  34. ^ a b Tanfani, Joseph; Berens, Michael; Parker, Ned (January 11, 2021). "How Trump's pied pipers rallied a faithful mob to the Capitol". Reuters. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  35. ^ Fearnow, Benjamin (December 20, 2020). "Mike Lindell, MyPillow CEO, Tweets, Then Deletes Call for Trump to 'Impose Martial Law'". Newsweek. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  36. ^ Armus, Teo (January 7, 2021). "Rep. Matt Gaetz and other GOP politicians baselessly suggest antifa is to blame for pro-Trump mob rioting into Capitol". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  37. ^ Jacobs, Ben (January 16, 2021). "Even the Guy the MyPillow CEO Wanted to Enlist for a Coup Is Confused". New York. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  38. ^ Solender, Andrew (January 15, 2021). "MyPillow CEO Meets With President About Plan To Install New CIA Director". Forbes. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  39. ^ Haberman, Maggie (January 18, 2021). "Dominion Voting Systems threatens to sue Mike Lindell, MyPillow C.E.O., over false claims" – via NYTimes.com.
  40. ^ Mangan, Tucker Higgins,Dan (January 8, 2021). "Dominion Voting Systems brings $1.3 billion defamation suit against ex-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell". CNBC.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  41. ^ Coleman, Justine (December 28, 2020). "Dominion sends cease-and-desist letter to witness who appeared with Giuliani". TheHill.
  42. ^ "Fox, Newsmax shoot down their own aired claims on election". AP NEWS. December 21, 2020.
  43. ^ Levin, Mark; Lindell, Mike (April 14, 2019). "MyPillow's Mike Lindell opens up on his battle with addiction". Fox News. Retrieved November 18, 2020. I lost a 20-year marriage
  44. ^ "C.J.: Bride leaves, says MyPillow CEO is a snooze". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  45. ^ Keogh, Joey (June 8, 2020). "Inside the MyPillow guy's relationship with his ex-wife". TheList.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  46. ^ Klinker, Ryan (August 21, 2019). "MyPillow founder Mike Lindell gifts students with pillows and message of God's grace". Liberty University. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  47. ^ dwinter@swpub.com, Deena Winter. "MyPillow to donate 60,000 pillows to Hurricane Harvey victims". SWNewsMedia.com.
  48. ^ Strode, Tom (March 2, 2018). "MyPillow Inventor Mike Lindell Shares Testimony at NRB Media Leadership Dinner". National Religious Broadcasters. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  49. ^ "A Year of Historic Action to Combat the Opioid Crisis". WhiteHouse.gov. October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  50. ^ Ord, Rich (October 23, 2018). "MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and His Story of Hope". WebProNews. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  51. ^ mdebilzan@swpub.com, Maddie DeBilzan. "MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to be on TV show, launch online help for addicts". SWNewsMedia.com.
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