MyPillow CEO boasts he gave Trump the idea he'll be 'reinstated' as president: 'He heard me say it'

On Wednesday, The Daily Beast reported that MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a far-right activist and friend of former President Donald Trump, is boasting that he probably was the one who put the idea in Trump's head that he will be "reinstated" as president later this year.

"In the past few weeks, two people close to Trump told The Daily Beast, the ex-president had begun increasingly quizzing confidants about a potential August return to power. What's more, he claimed that a lot of 'highly respected' people — who Trump did not name — have been saying it's possible. Both of these sources said they decided not to tell the former president what they were thinking, which was that it's not going to happen," reported Will Sommer. "It's unclear, exactly, who these 'highly respected' individuals are, and who first got the August chatter in Trump's ear. But the August deadline tracks with comments made by Lindell, one of the ex-president's most ardent supporters and personal friends."

In conversation with The Daily Beast, Lindell said he believes he was the source: "If Trump is saying August, that is probably because he heard me say it publicly."

"Other top Trump allies have claimed that Trump could soon return to office," wrote Sommer, noting that "Kraken" lawyer Sidney Powell has also pushed the idea at a QAnon conference. "But the August deadline seems to be unique to Lindell. 'The August part is me,' Lindell told Bannon in another podcast appearance in March."

Lindell has been one of the biggest purveyors of election conspiracy theories, including that Dominion Voting Systems machines were rigged to steal votes from Trump. He is currently facing a $1.6 billion defamation suit from the company.