# Christopher Ruddy Founder and CEO of [[Newsmax]], a longtime personal friend of [[Donald Trump]], and a [[Mar-a-Lago]] member for decades. Ruddy built Newsmax as a print newsletter operation before pivoting to cable news, and his personal relationship with Trump became Newsmax's primary competitive asset when the network surged following Trump supporters' 2020 election-night anger at [[Fox News]]. ## Background and Vince Foster Conspiracy Ruddy came to prominence as an investigative journalist in the 1990s who aggressively promoted the Vince Foster conspiracy theory — the debunked claim that the Clinton aide's 1993 death by suicide was actually a murder orchestrated by the Clintons. Ruddy's reporting in the New York Post and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review helped keep the conspiracy alive for years, earning him significant attention in conservative circles. The Foster coverage established the template for Ruddy's media approach: aggressive coverage of stories damaging to Democrats, with a willingness to entertain claims that mainstream media dismissed as conspiracy. ## Newsmax and Trump Relationship Ruddy's friendship with Trump predates Trump's political career and gives Newsmax a genuine access advantage. Trump has called Ruddy a friend and appeared on Newsmax at key moments, particularly when he was feuding with Fox News. This relationship is institutional, not just personal — it creates a structural incentive for Newsmax to maintain unconditional Trump loyalty, since any criticism of Trump would damage the primary asset that distinguishes Newsmax from other conservative media operations. ## 2020 Election Surge When Fox News called Arizona for Biden on election night 2020, Trump publicly told his followers to switch to Newsmax. Ruddy's network was positioned to absorb the migration and did so effectively, achieving ratings competitive with Fox News among the most committed MAGA demographics for several months. ## IPO and Business Ruddy took Newsmax public in March 2025 via IPO. The offering initially achieved a dramatic valuation (reportedly ~$14B at peak on the first trading day) before correcting substantially. Even discounted, the IPO demonstrated the genuine business value of right-wing media loyalty. ## Role in the Ecosystem Ruddy is the establishment variant of right-wing media ownership — a personal Trump friend who runs a media operation as a combination of business and political loyalty project. His position differs from figures like [[Robert Mercer]] (Breitbart) or [[the Mercers]] generally in that his primary connection to the ecosystem is personal friendship with Trump rather than ideological commitment or dark-money strategy.