Lou Dobbs, veteran cable news anchor and Trump booster, dies at 78

CNN
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Lou Dobbs, the longtime enterprise information anchor who grew to become one in every of Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters in media, died on Thursday. He was 78.

“It’s with a heavy coronary heart that we announce the passing of ‘the nice Lou Dobbs,’” a press release posted on his official social media account mentioned, calling him a “fighter until the very finish.”

Dobbs had a prolonged profession in broadcast journalism, spending greater than twenty years at CNN, which he joined at its inception in 1980 and anchoring this system “Moneyline.” Dobbs left CNN in 2009 to assist media mogul Rupert Murdoch launch the Fox Enterprise Community.

“Lou was one of many CNN originals, who helped launch and form the community. We’re saddened to listen to about his passing and prolong our sincerest condolences to his spouse Debi, kids and his household,” a CNN spokesperson mentioned.

As Donald Trump ascended in Republican Occasion politics, Dobbs grew to become one in every of his most ardent supporters, utilizing his program to advertise anti-immigrant rhetoric and lash out on the so-called “deep state.”

As one in every of Trump’s largest boosters on tv, the veteran anchor spent the latter a part of his profession selling streams of misinformation and conspiracy theories on behalf of the then-president.

Trump usually praised Dobbs in return, typically posting clips of his present on his social media channels. Trump on Thursday praised Dobbs as a good friend and “actually unbelievable journalist, reporter, and expertise.”

“He understood the World, and what was ‘taking place,’ higher than others,” Trump wrote on his social media platform. “Lou was distinctive in so some ways, and cherished our Nation. Our warmest condolences to his great spouse, Debi, and household. He will likely be tremendously missed!”

After the 2020 election, Dobbs used his Fox Enterprise program to repeatedly promote false conspiracy theories that the vote had been rigged by shadowy firms that flipped tens of millions of votes from Trump to Joe Biden.

These on-air feedback helped spur voting expertise firms Dominion Voting Techniques and Smartmatic to sue Fox Information for defamation. Fox Information settled with Dominion final 12 months for greater than $787 million. However Smartmatic’s lawsuit — which additionally personally named Dobbs as a defendant — remains to be ongoing.

After the lawsuits had been filed, Fox Enterprise canceled Dobbs’ present, taking him off the air in an abrupt transfer introduced on a Friday in February 2021.

Legal professionals representing Dobbs beforehand mentioned within the Smartmatic case that he “denies the allegation of a disinformation marketing campaign” and that he “engages in opinion commentary on problems with public curiosity, which is his proper underneath the U.S. Structure.”

Fox Information on Thursday praised the veteran anchor and supplied condolences to his household.

“We’re deeply saddened by the passing of Lou Dobbs. An unbelievable enterprise thoughts with a present for broadcasting, Lou helped pioneer cable information right into a profitable and influential trade,” a Fox Information Media spokesperson mentioned. “We’re immensely grateful for his many contributions and ship our heartfelt condolences to his household.”

Marshall Cohen contributed to this story.