Who is Mike Lindell?

The CEO of My Pillow and Pro-Donald Trump ally Mike Lindell had his phone seized by the FBI on Tuesday, the 61-year-old revealed on his show, The Lindell Report. 

The Trump ally and advisor saw a rise in prominence after joining the former president in claiming that the 2020 presidential elections were stolen. 

Lindell had his car surrounded by the FBI at a Hardee’s drive-thru in his hometown of Mankato, Minnesota. The Trump loyalist says that he was on his way back from a hunting trip in Iowa when the stop occurred. The 61-year-old had his 5 phones seized that according him he needed to “run five companies” since he didn’t own a laptop. While the search warrant was being executed by the FBI, Lindell was asked about the Colorado and Dominion voting machines. 

Previously, Lindell had his phone records subpoenaed in January by the January 6 Committee. 

Who is Mike Lindell?

Michael James Lindell was born on June 28, 1961 in Mankato, Minnesota, though he grew up in the cities of Chaska and Carver. After high school, Lindell attended the University of Minnesota but dropped out after a few months. Lindell struggled with drug addiction in his 20s, becoming a frequent cocaine user. 

Through the 1980s Lindell launched a number of small businesses like carpet cleaning, a few bars and restaurants and even a lunch wagon in Carver. Throughout this period, Lindell remained addicted to cocaine, switching over to crack cocaine in the 90s. As a result of his addiction, his house was foreclosed and his wife filed for divorce. Lindell achieved sobriety in 2009 through prayer.

In 2004, Lindell invented the My Pillow pillow which was made of pieces of foam interlocked in a pattern. He managed to grow the business into a Minnesota manufacturing company. However, in 2017 the Better Business Bureau revoked MY Pillow’s accreditation after several complaints from customers.

In 2020, he made his son the CEO of the company citing his own political ambitions. By 2021, several major retailers stopped carrying My Pillow products. According to Lindell, retailers stopped because of his claims that the 2020 presidential elections were fraudulent and therefore illegal. 

Lindell became a passionate supporter of former US president Donald Trump in 2016. Throughout the years of Trump’s presidency, he appeared at various campaign rallies advising the former president as well as finding endorsement from the TV-celebrity-turned-politician. In a move that was deemed extremely controversial at the time in 2020, Lindell was one of the many who paid the bail of the 17-year-old Kenosha shooter, Kyle Rittenhouse. 

Following the results of the 2020 presidential elections, Lindell was one of many who supported and financed Trump’s attempts at overturning the election results.  One of his allegations of voter fraud was that voting machine companies Smartmatic and Dominion had tampered with the results.

Both companies sent notices to Lindell saying they planned to sue him if he didn’t retract his statements. When Lindell refused, Dominion sued him for $1.3 billion in damages.

Smartmatic sued for unspecified damages and legal fees saying that Lindell’s claims had tanked the value of their company from more than $3 billion prior to the 2020 elections to less than $1 billion.

Lindell was banned from Twitter on January 25, 2021 for spreading misinformation about the 2020 presidential elections, just weeks after the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill. In January 2022, his phone records were subpoenaed by the January 6 Committee. 

The Trump loyalist is the founder of the Lindell Foundation, an NGO that helps former drug addicts receive treatment. It has now expanded to include cancer patients and army veterans. He launched the Lindell Recovery Network which connects addicts with others who went through treatment and the recovery process. It also connects addicts with faith-based treatment centers. 

Lindell has been married twice in his life. His first marriage of 20 years ended because of his drug addiction. He married again in 2013 but the marriage ended mere months later when his wife left him, the two had a prenuptial agreement. He also wrote a book about his struggles with drug addiction, his recovery and his relationship with God titled, What Are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO.