After six weeks, dozens of lawsuits, and the Electoral College casting its ballot, one news network finally called the presidential election for President-elect Joe Biden.
Newsmax, a small, right-wing television network, had previously refused to refer to Biden as president-elect given President Trump’s continued legal challenges. But that changed on Monday when the Electoral College voted to affirm Biden will be the next president of the United States.
“As a result of the Electoral College vote Joe Biden is the president-elect and will be referred to as such on Newsmax,” the network said in a statement, according to numerous outlets. “We also recognize Pres[ident] Trump continues to contest the results and we will cover aspects of that news story.”
As the Electoral College votes affirmed Biden’s victory, Newsmax anchor John Bachman referred to Biden as the president-elect.
“What I’m trying to do is manage everyone’s expectations,” Bachman told viewers. “These judges don’t seem to be taking up these cases. This is the reality. This is the motion set in place.”
The network, founded 22 years ago, had previously boasted that it was the only “major news outlet” not to declare Biden as the winner of the presidential race, which it said was premature.
“At this time, Newsmax is not calling Joe Biden the winner. The election remains very close and Pres. Trump continues to contest results in several states. All votes should be counted. The media should not make the determination of the winner under these circumstances,” the network said in a statement the week after the election.
The network, which was founded by CEO Christopher Ruddy, had used this as a tactic to siphon off Fox News viewers who were angry that the network had called the race for Biden. The anchors on Newsmax attacked Fox News, while Fox News, which commands a significantly larger audience, remained relatively silent about the supposed competition from the right.
Trump has tweeted positively about Newsmax and negatively about Fox News, but the president has also continued to promote the opinion hosts at Fox News.
One America News Network is another fringe, right-wing media outlet that has bolstered the president’s claims of a rigged election, and it has yet to declare Biden the president-elect.
