Newsmax has been pitting itself as Trump’s only defense against the mainstream media, with slogans such as “We need more than a fox to guard against the liberal media.”

The network books an impressive number of GOP lawmakers every day. Ruddy has asked Trump to join the network, but the president said he’s focused on overturning the election at the moment.

Ruddy bristles at the notion that his network is giving viewers false hope about Trump’s chances for a second term.

“It’s an uphill battle and we’ve never led our viewers to believe otherwise,” said Ruddy, who spoke to The Hill days before the Supreme Court rejected a challenge from Texas to the electoral results in several states.

“People say we’re pushing conspiracies, but we’re in no way misleading our viewers. Trump has a small chance and we are going to give fair coverage about what’s going on in the states. We’ll accept the president that is elected by the Electoral College,” he said.