MyPillow CEO and Trump ally, Mike Lindell, has defended a decision to spend over $187,000 in campaign contributions on copies of his own book.
Lindell, who is running for governor of Minnesota, was asked Sunday if it was a “wise use of campaign spending” to purchase thousands of copies of his memoir, What are the odds? From Crack Addict to CEO.
“Your campaign took in more than $350,000 in contributions in just under a month, but filings show your campaign spent more than half of that money on your own self-published memoir. Explain to people why buy all those books, is that a wise use of campaign spending?” asked NewsNation Prime host Natasha Zouves.
Lindell first noted that the memoirs were “a very good price” and added: “What you can do instead of paying money for flyers and stuff, we had to go around do debates for about a month-and-a-half, these debates, and we gave out the books instead of giving them a little flyer about me. This is my memoir, this is my autobiography and showing people who I am.”
Lindell was asked if he planned to spend any more of his campaign funds on his book, to which he replied: “Absolutely.”
Lindell is seeking the Republican nomination in the 2026 Minnesota gubernatorial race after Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, announced he would not be seeking re-election.
The MyPillow CEO dropped out of college around 1979 and became addicted to crack, cocaine and gambling, according to CNBC. He then established his pillow company in Minnesota in 2004, propelling him to financial success.
Lindell, a jovial presence on infomercials that became ubiquitous on TV, subsequently emerged as an early supporter of Donald Trump in 2016. He has since become one of the president’s most vocal supporters, repeatedly backing Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
Lindell has also joined the president at numerous campaign events, White House press briefings and has addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), an annual gathering of conservatives. Trump also frequently reposts Lindell on Truth Social.
Candidates are allowed to use their campaign funds to purchase their own memoirs, according to the Federal Election Commission. The Independent has contacted Lindell’s campaign for comment.
Lindell is running against Lisa Demuth, the state house speaker, for the Republican nomination. The primary will be held on August 11.
Another Republican running for governor, Jeff Johnson, suspended his campaign earlier this month after his 22-year-old daughter was found stabbed to death in her home in what officials called an attempted murder suicide.
Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar is also running to replace Walz. If Lindell or Demuth were to win the election, they would become the first GOP governor in Minnesota since 2006.
