EXCLUSIVE — Steve Bannon has a blunt assessment of MyPillow founder and Trump ally Mike Lindell’s upset loss in Minnesota’s GOP gubernatorial primary on Tuesday.
“Simple: amnesty,” the former Trump adviser told the Washington Examiner, referencing Lindell’s July proposal to give illegal immigrants a one-time, six-month deportation “moratorium” to apply for a visa to stay in the United States indefinitely, provided they do not commit crimes.
Lindell often appears on Bannon’s War Room podcast, where MyPillow is a recurring advertiser. The two share a conservative political streak and a long-running skepticism of how American elections are run. Yet Bannon did not hold back criticism after the Washington Examiner reported Lindell’s immigration proposal last month.
“If Mike had not come out for amnesty, he would have won in a blowout — that’s how powerful President Trump’s endorsement is,” Bannon added.
Trump endorsed the “Pillow Man” as his pick to replace outgoing Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) in July. He reiterated that support in a Tuesday Truth Social post, even after Lindell’s proposal, which some pointed out sounded more like a Democratic policy than a Republican one.
“Mike Lindell deserves a BIG WIN IN MINNESOTA today,” the president wrote Tuesday on Truth Social. “Nobody has worked harder, and given up so much, in fighting for free and fair Elections.”
Lindell’s loss was not the only test of Trump’s endorsement on Tuesday. Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), whom Trump picked to succeed her late brother, Lindsey Graham, failed to win outright and instead advanced to a runoff after her primary election.
Those two results follow upset losses for Trump-backed candidates last week. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) fell after outside groups intervened in his primary, while Michigan congressional hopeful Amir Hassan lost to a candidate who had suspended his campaign weeks earlier.
Still, Bannon maintained that Trump’s endorsement is the “Gold Standard.”
He speculated that Lindell would not have crested 10% of the vote had Trump rescinded his endorsement. Lindell’s support sat around 32.5% as of Wednesday afternoon.
Lindell’s opponent, state House Speaker Lisa Demuth, will now face Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in November. Lindell insisted after the election that there were “mathematical deviations” that propelled Demuth’s numbers.
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“It just doesn’t make sense, you guys,” Lindell told reporters. “We need a day. We’re going to look into it. This is what my teams have done.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Lindell for comment.