MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is now publicly melting down over the fact that even Minnesota Republicans appear to be tired of him.
The longtime election conspiracy theorist went on Steve Bannon’s podcast to complain that the Minnesota GOP is effectively freezing him out of the governor’s race, including blocking him from major party events and refusing to let him participate in an upcoming Republican debate.
“They’re having a big Republican endorsement where they’re having a debate and I’m not allowed to come. They’ve shut me out,” Lindell complained.
He also whined that the Minnesota media is barely covering his campaign, despite Donald Trump previously tossing him a lukewarm compliment by saying Lindell “deserves to be governor of Minnesota.”
Lindell insisted he’s running a grassroots campaign, traveling county to county the same way he built MyPillow in its early years, and claimed he’d be doing incredibly well if only the Republican establishment would stop sabotaging him.
Like Trump, Lindell continues to insist he’s leading in certain polls and remains the only Republican capable of winning statewide, despite the reality that Minnesota Republicans have not won a statewide race since 2006. His chances in a general election against Amy Klobuchar appear virtually nonexistent.
Trump himself has kept Lindell at arm’s length. At one rally, Trump vaguely asked the crowd, “Do we like Mike Lindell? … He fought like hell. That guy deserves to be governor of Minnesota. I hope he does great,” but stopped far short of giving a formal endorsement.
The similarities between Lindell and Trump continue to pile up. Both portray themselves as victims of a corrupt political establishment, both constantly complain about being treated “unfairly,” and both seem convinced that shadowy forces are preventing them from achieving greatness.
Still, you almost have to admire Lindell’s refusal to disappear. The former crack addict turned evangelical businessman has survived multiple massive defamation lawsuits from Dominion and Smartmatic, watched MyPillow lose major retail partnerships across the country, and seen reports of severe financial collapse surrounding his company.
But he’s now discovering that even inside Trump’s Republican Party, there are limits to how far conspiracy theories, grifting, and self-delusion can carry someone politically.
Lindell genuinely appeared to believe that loyalty to Trump alone could carry him all the way to the governor’s mansion. Instead, he’s finding himself isolated by his own party before the race has even truly begun.
At this point, the biggest thing he may actually win is the award for providing endless political entertainment.
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