Who funds The Liz Truss Show?
Former prime minister is in league with a controversial US figure
Liz Truss has made a comeback to the spotlight this week with an online talk show that is part of a partnership with a controversial US figure.
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The former prime minister has labelled her production as the "counter-revolution" and the first episode of her weekly series saw her interview right-wing political forecaster Matt Goodwin.
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London is Falling, the first episode of The Liz Truss Show, was derided in the press, with the Guardian giving it a one-star review and the Independent calling it the "worst thing to hit YouTube in 20 years”.
She has taken the opportunity to call out the "deep state" operating in the UK, called for a Donald Trump-style MAGA revolution here, and also repeatedly said the "fake news" BBC is lying to the public.
Ms Truss has pledged to be back every Friday from 6pm (not at 7pm, the eventual time of the first, delayed, broadcast).
“The Liz Truss Show investigates what’s gone wrong, who is responsible, and how we secure Britain’s future before it’s too late,” a statement reads.
But questions remain as to how the videos are being funded, with The Liz Truss Show being free for users of YouTube, Rumble, X, and Spotify.
There are no sign ups, cross promotions, or adverts within the broadcast.
Who funds The Liz Truss Show?
The Liz Truss Show is run as a co-production with Just the News, a US right-wing website and multimedia hub run by John Solomon.
The partnership shows an effort by Ms Truss to try and break into the American market, with her show being advertised on Just the News with the US timings of broadcast front and centre.
Mr Solomon featured on the first “extra” part of The Liz Truss Show, a spin-off broadcast which was aired a few days after the main show.
Another additional episode has since been posted featuring an interview with Steve Bannon, suggesting there could be up to three episodes a week of the show.
It has not been stated how much a deal between Just the News and Ms Truss was worth.
Who is John Solomon?
Mr Solomon founded Just the News in 2020 and kicked off multimedia production with a podcast called John Solomon Reports, which is still up and running to this day.
He had previously worked for the Associated Press, Washington Post, The Hill, and Newsweek, among other editorial jobs, while he has previously contributed to Fox News.
Mr Solomon has 1.4 million Twitter followers, including Ms Truss, and refers to himself as “an award-winning investigative journalist,” having won the 2008 Robert F Kennedy Journalism Award.
He has faced criticism throughout his career, however, for asllegations such as:
- Promoting theories about Joe Biden’s interests in Ukraine, along with those of the ex president’s son Hunter, which were ultimately disproven,
- Alleging that a woman who accused Donald Trump of sexual assault had sought payments,
- Not disclosing that advertorial in The Hill had been paid for.
Mr Solomon left The Hill in 2019 after it was concluded that there were “multiple failings” in his reports into the Bidens and Ukraine.
“In some columns, there was context and/or disclosure that should have been included at the time of his writings,” a review found, adding that his opinions often appeared as news.
“In certain columns, Solomon failed to identify important details about key Ukrainian sources, including the fact that they had been indicted or were under investigation. In other cases, the sources were his own attorneys.”
Despite his controversies, Mr Solomon has retained close ties to the Trump administration and, in 2022, was chosen alongside right-wing figurehead Kash Patel as a representative to the presidential records.
Ms Truss said of him on his show: “He is a freedom fighter in the United States of America, he has called out the deep state, he has called out the mainstream media, he was cancelled himself and now he has come back fighting for the values we all believe in… Christian values, the nation state, the values [we hold] in America.
“I am delighted to have him on the show and to be working with him on The Liz Truss Show overall.”