Trump just retweeted a dozen Twitter users who are trashing Fox News and promoting Newsmax. Here's my new story about Newsmax + a thread about what is going on... http://www.cnn.com/2020/11/12/media/fox-news-newsmax-reliable-sources/index.html

On Newsmax, voter fraud innuendo is everywhere. Conspiracy theory chatter is constant. And perhaps most importantly, Joe Biden is NOT president-elect. They say they haven't called the race. (They don't have a decision desk.) They're tapping into a real vein of rage on the right.

Before election day, Newsmax and OAN were just annoying flies on the Fox elephant's back. But something dramatic has happened: Newsmax's audience has BALLOONED. Final week of October, the channel averaged 65,000 viewers. Election week: 182,000. Monday: 347,000. Tuesday: 437,000.

Newsmax is still much smaller than Fox. And this ratings spike may be temporary. But this is the most robust right-wing TV challenge to Fox that I have ever seen. Some of Newsmax's evening shows are attracting 700,000 & 800,000 viewers. A month ago they were lucky to get 100,000!

If Fox is merely dabbling in election denialism, Newsmax is doubling down on it. Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller was explicit on Greg Kelly's show Wednesday night: "We gotta stop Joe Biden from becoming the next president."

Taking a big picture view, Newsmax's sudden gains are about DEMAND meeting SUPPLY. There is a demand for content that swears Biden is not president-elect; that Trump is not a loser; that Trump might even win a second term. Newsmax is supplying that. https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/12/media/fox-news-newsmax-reliable-sources/index.html