Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday called it a "disgrace" for AT&T to allow Newsmax to be dropped from its DirecTV satellite service.
"A lot of people are angry at AT&T, and they should be," Trump said during a phone-in appearance on "The Howie Carr Show," a syndicated daily radio show, part of which is simulcast on Newsmax.
"They know what do with their anger: You don't do business with them," Trump said. "They can make up their own minds, but I think it's a disgrace and what they've done to Newsmax, and OAN by the way the same thing."
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is returned! Oppose censorship – sign The Petition – Click Here
AT&T, the 70% owner of DirecTV, deplatformed two conservative channels in the past year, with OAN canceled last April.
Days after the Newsmax drop, Trump called on Americans to cancel not only DirecTV but all AT&T services, including cellular and wireless services.
"Chris Ruddy at Newsmax, he's done a fantastic job," Trump told Carr of the Newsmax CEO. "And then you have DirecTV which is essentially owned, I guess, or controlled, by AT&T. And, you know, they're trying to censor the conservative voices."
"They've done a fantastic job at Newsmax," Trump said. "And to have a large portion of people taken off the air for political reasons is just disgraceful."
Newsmax was getting good viewership, but was dumped by DirecTV "for political reasons," Trump said. "But I think they're paying a big price for it."
DirecTV claimed both Newsmax and OAN were removed as "cost-cutting" measures.
At the same time, the service continues to carry 22 left-leaning news channels, many with much lower ratings than Newsmax. All of those channels get hefty license fees, all higher than what Newsmax was seeking.
"DirecTV's position has always been that Newsmax — of all cable news channels — should never get any cable fee whatsoever, not one penny," Ruddy said.
Ruddy said AT&T's targeting of Newsmax for unequal treatment is "an act of political discrimination and blatant censorship."
Actions to Take Now
1. DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is back on air!
2. Call your congressman or senator at 202-224-3121 and demand they stop AT&T/DirecTV's censorship of NEWSMAX — ask them to give you a date on the hearings!
3. Go to our online petition and get more info: iWantNewsmax.com.
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