‘MyPillow Guy’ complains loyalty to Trump is costing him millions while facing $1.3 billion lawsuit

‘I lost 20 retailers, and it’s cost me $65 million this year that I won’t get back, OK?’

Words have consequences — even for the “MyPillow Guy”. 

Mike Lindell, a loyal ally to former President Donald Trump who has continued to promote flagrantly false and debunked claims of rampant voter fraud, lamented over his financial predicament in a new interview after he was sued on Monday for $1.3 billion by Dominion Voting Systems.

“I lost 20 retailers, and it’s cost me $65 million this year that I won’t get back, OK?” Mr Lindell told Insider after it was reported the voting technology company sued him for repeatedly making false claims about its work in the 2020 US elections. “There’s your story. Print it right. Don’t try and twist this.”

The seemingly frustrated CEO of MyPillow.com became close to Mr Trump towards the end of his presidency, bringing notes that mentioned martial law to his meetings in the White House in the final weeks of the previous administration. 

Mr Lindell, whose pillow company earned him the the “MyPillow Guy” moniker online as he became a controversial political voice, advertised on the former president’s favorite television network and routinely appeared on Fox News and other conservative outlets, claiming without evidence that Dominion Voting Systems had rigged the election against his friend and preferred candidate.

None of his claims were based in reality, lawyers for Dominion argued in court filings on Monday, writing: “Lindell — a talented salesman and former professional card counter — sells the lie to this day because the lie sells pillows.”

Tom Clare, a prominent Washington defamation attorney representing Dominion Voting Systems, wrote in the lawsuit: “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.”

Dominion has filed lawsuits against Fox News and attorneys for the former president who also promoted false claims that Dominion Voting Systems had somehow rigged the election by manipulating voting machines. There has been no evidence to support any claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 elections. In fact, Mr Trump’s Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security both assessed the recent election as the most secure in American history. 

But that didn’t stop Mr Lindell and others from continuing to promote the falsehoods. The pillow executive even invested his own money in producing (and starring) in a two-hour documentary in which he apparently attempted to prove his false claims of voter fraud. 

However, on Monday he acknowledge the fact that he has faced criticism and boycotting over his political conduct in the past — which has helped his business somewhat in the past, he said.

“When I’m boycotted, people tend to buy more pillows — at least in the short term,” he said. “I always get a little lift for a couple of days when they attack the company. But now this time is different.”

Mr Lindell, who described himself as “not a stupid person” in the interview with Insider, added that he already has a team of attorneys working on the case after he was served the papers on Monday.