Newsmax says it will refer to Biden as president-elect

Startup conservative network Newsmax confirmed Tuesday its reporters and anchors will refer to Joe Biden as president-elect during news coverage going forward. 

“As a result of the Electoral College vote Joe Biden is the president-elect and will be referred to as such on Newsmax,” a spokesperson for the media company told The Hill. “We also recognize President Trump continues to contest the results and we will cover aspects of that news story.” 

The new statement from the pro-Trump media outlet comes less than a day after an anchor on the network called Biden “president-elect” twice during a segment. 

Newsmax is one of the few media outlets which did not project Biden as the winner of the presidential election in the days following Nov. 3. 

State electors in several key battleground states which Biden won and President Trump is contesting the result in awarded their electoral votes to Biden on Monday, bringing him one step closer to official victory in the 2020 election. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) acknowledged Biden’s win for the first time during floor remarks on Tuesday. 

Newsmax has come under criticism for giving credence to unfounded claims of voter fraud peddled by the president, his legal representatives and allies on Capitol Hill. 

The network was sued this month after a guest on one of the outlet’s programs called for a former top intelligence official in the Trump administration to be shot for throwing cold water on Trump’s claims of voter fraud.   

In a recent interview with The Hill, Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said the company is looking to capitalize on Trump’s displeasure with rival Fox News and grow its brand tailored for a pro-Trump audience. 

“People have become increasingly dissatisfied with Fox and we’ll eventually beat them,” Ruddy said. “We haven’t even launched a prime-time lineup yet.”

Fox dominates the conservative media and cable news landscape each month, notching millions of viewers on a nightly basis, and has said it’s not concerned about being outdone by Newsmax.

Nielsen ratings show Newsmax’s premier prime-time program has yet to earn 1 million viewers on a given night.