Steve Cortes, former Trump Campaign advisor is leaving right-wing cable channel Newsmax. He will host his last broadcast within the next week.
According to the dailybeast, Cortest and the network have had tension between them for some time. The host denies that there were any issues, but Newsmax’s company-wide vaccine policy is what led him to exit.
Earlier this month, Newsmax instituted a rule that all employees must either be vaccinated or submit to weekly COVID testing. The news of such a policy, which was in compliance with the Biden administration’s policy for businesses with more than 100 employees, pushed Cortes to unequivocally declare on Twitter that he wouldn’t have any part of it.
The organization instituted a mandatory rule that all employees must test weekly for COVID or be vaccinated which is in compliance with the Biden administration policy for midsize to large businesses. Cortest has been vocal about his disdain for vaccines, especially on Twitter.
I will not comply w/ any organization’s attempt to enforce Biden’s capricious & unscientific Medical Apartheid mandate.
I will not be forced into the injection, nor will I disclose my vaccination status.
No one should be pressured to choose between medical privacy & their job.
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) November 6, 2021
Speaking ill of his employer in public may have been the last straw, but someone currently on the Newsmax staff mentioned this has been in the works for some time.
“It’s been ongoing for a while,” one current Newsmax staffer told The Daily Beast, adding that Cortes is “a constant risk” due to his penchant for making controversial and inflammatory comments.
Some other speculations are that there might be legal troubles pending between Cortes and the broadcast network and “because the ratings for [the Cortes] show suck” and Newsmax is just looking for a change of pace.