Christopher Ruddy facts for kids

Christopher Ruddy (born January 28, 1965) is an American journalist. He is the CEO and main owner of Newsmax Media, a media company that has a news website and a television channel.

Early Life and Education

Chris Ruddy grew up on Long Island in New York. His father was a police officer. After high school, he went to St. John's University in New York. He graduated with high honors in history in 1987.

Ruddy continued his studies and earned a master's degree from the famous London School of Economics. He also studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. For a short time, he worked as a high school social studies teacher in the Bronx.

Starting a Career in Journalism

Ruddy began his journalism career as an editor for a monthly paper called the New York Guardian. He later became an investigative reporter for the New York Post. Investigative reporters dig deep into stories to uncover facts.

In 1995, he joined the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review as a national reporter. He covered news about the White House and other important topics. During this time, he wrote about the death of White House lawyer Vince Foster. Ruddy questioned the official reports about the case. He later wrote a book about it called The Strange Death of Vincent Foster.

Ruddy also studied as a Media Fellow at the Hoover Institution, a research center.

Founding Newsmax Media

In 1998, after working as a reporter, Ruddy decided to start his own media company. He co-founded Newsmax Media with Richard Mellon Scaife, the owner of the Tribune-Review. They started with a small investment and later raised more money.

Newsmax grew into a major media company with a popular website and a 24-hour news channel. Ruddy has said that Newsmax provides "news that Americans in the heartland would like to see."

In March 2024, Newsmax began selling its shares on the New York Stock Exchange. This is called an initial public offering (IPO). The stock price went up very quickly on the first day. Because its price changed so much due to online interest, some people called it a meme stock.

Political Views and Relationships

Ruddy calls himself a libertarian conservative. This means he believes in personal freedom and limited government. He is not officially registered as a member of the Republican Party. He has sometimes disagreed with the party's positions. For example, he was an early critic of the Iraq War.

Working with President Clinton

Early in his career, Ruddy was a strong critic of President Bill Clinton. However, over the years, his views changed. He later said that Clinton was "a pretty good president in a lot of ways."

Ruddy and Clinton became friends. Ruddy praised Clinton's work with his charity, the Clinton Foundation. In 2007, Ruddy published a positive interview with the former president on Newsmax. Clinton even visited the Newsmax offices in Florida in 2010.

In 2012, Ruddy joined President Clinton on a trip to Africa. They visited projects run by the Clinton Foundation that help with health care, education, and fighting poverty.

A Friend of Donald Trump

Ruddy is also a longtime friend of Donald Trump. As a member of Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, he has often spent time with him. Ruddy has sometimes commented on Trump's communication style, noting that Trump understands how to get his message out through the news.

In 2017, Ruddy spoke about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. He claimed that Trump was thinking about removing Robert Mueller, the special prosecutor in charge of the investigation.

Comments on Joe Biden

In 2021, Ruddy wrote an opinion piece for Newsmax. He praised President Joe Biden for his work on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the United States. Ruddy wrote that this effort was saving many lives and was a good thing for all Americans.

Public Service and Other Roles

Ruddy has been involved in many organizations. He served on the board of the American Swiss Foundation, which helps build good relations between the U.S. and Switzerland. He is also a member of a council at the CSIS, a group that studies national security.

In 2010, a British newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, named Ruddy one of the "100 Most Influential Conservatives" in the U.S. He has also supported the Wikimedia Foundation, the organization that runs Wikipedia.

See also

• New Yorkers in journalism