Trump Pollster Says AT&T DirecTV Boycott Major Issue For Campaign

A boycott of AT&T DirecTV after its deplatforming of Newsmax is a major issue for former President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, according to his pollster, John McLaughlin.

"Conservatives need to take a page from the Democrats and fight censorship by canceling DirecTV and their owner AT&T and moving their cellphone and cable subscription to businesses that support free speech for conservatives," McLaughlin told Paul Bedard, the Washington Secrets columnist for The Washington Examiner. "Trump supporters need to lead that fight.”

Trump's polling numbers, including with Republican pollster McLaughlin and Associates, are showing slight declines, even though he continues to come out ahead of likely GOP primary opponents, and McLaughlin says that's because the media's attention to Trump has dropped, not because the party's enthusiasm is dropping.

DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to cancel/complain

Both Facebook and Twitter banned Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, unrest at the Capitol, but McLaughlin pointed out the former president has been cleared to rejoin both platforms.

However, Newsmax is the "only cable news channel which is fair to Trump," said McLaughlin.

DirecTV has dropped the network, denying access to millions of potential viewers, and McLaughlin told Bedard that Fox News has in recent months either been negative to Trump or has not given him much coverage.

"There's a real challenge ahead," as "it's a challenge when big media and Big Tech cover your opponents and censor the front-runner," said McLaughlin.

He said he is confident that when Trump starts campaigning harder and working on his focus against President Joe Biden and other topics, the former president's numbers will change.

"As President Trump campaigns taking on Biden on the issues like inflation, immigration, economy, as he visits in the primary states, promotes his issue videos, and ramps up his campaign, he will re-strengthen the polls," said McLaughlin. "He's still the front-runner, which is why big media, Big Tech, and the D.C. establishment are trying to do everything they can to stop him."

But Trump and his supporters will "have to fight big media and Big Tech censorship and media bias every day," said McLaughlin, noting that DirecTV's censorship of Newsmax is a "very timely and poignant example."

"DirecTV drops Newsmax, the fourth-highest-rated cable news network in America which still covers President Trump and his rallies, right before the Newsmax coverage of Trump’s campaign trips to New Hampshire and South Carolina, but they kept 22 left-wing channels [of which] many have lower ratings," said McLaughlin.

Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy has argued that Newsmax was seeking a fee significantly less than what most of the top 75 cable channels and 22 liberal news networks have sought.

"This is a blatant act of political discrimination and censorship against Newsmax," Ruddy stated. "The most extreme liberal channels, even with tiny ratings, get fees from AT&T's DirecTV, but Newsmax and OAN [One American News Network] need to be deplatformed."

After its Jan. 24 decision, DirecTV issued a statement insisting that it wants Newsmax back on its service of more than 13 million subscribers but claimed that as it would not agree to pay Newsmax "tens of millions of dollars in licensing fees, DIRECTV was no longer permitted by Newsmax to air its content."

"This was never about the fees being excessive," Ruddy said. "DirecTV's position has always been that Newsmax of all cable news channels should never get any cable fee whatsoever, not one penny."

AT&T's move comes despite Newsmax being the fourth highest-rated cable news channel in the U.S., a top 20 channel overall, and watched by 25 million Americans on cable alone.

Actions to Take Now

1. DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to cancel/complain.

2. AT&T customers call toll free at 888-855-2338 to cancel/complain for U-verse, cellular and wireless services.

3. 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!

4. Go to our online petition and get more info: iWantNewsmax.com.

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