Newsmax News
Covering the White House a Dream Come True
Newsmax reporter Mike Carter seeks to illuminate ideas and viewpoints viewers are interested in.
B BY MARISA HERMAN
efore becoming a fixture in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, Newsmax White House correspon-
dent Mike Carter took a winding path through the media landscape. He attended Saturday Night Live after-parties; learned how CNBC cre- ates a business news show; covered LSU Tigers athletics and the New Orleans Saints; and produced an unlikely award-winning story about “Patrick,” a concrete pole in a Louisi- ana Walmart parking lot blamed for dozens of fender benders. But something was missing. “I knew what I wanted — to have an
impact,” Carter said. “Covering the pres- ident, I’m having an impact every day.” His media journey began in NBC’s
page program, a rotational learn- ing and development experience he called “hypnotic,” one that made him
“fall in love with television.” Watching a taping of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon cemented his desire to pursue TV as a career. Despite bouncing through various
roles, Carter still felt unfulfilled profes- sionally. He enrolled in graduate school at Syracuse University to hone his sto- rytelling craft. There, he mastered the art of turning
routine news into 90-second narratives that were “compelling and relatable.” He worked as a news reporter at a
local Colorado Springs station and later as a hybrid sports and news reporter for an ABC affiliate in southwest Louisi- ana, where he covered the LSU Tigers and New Orleans Saints. Whether reporting on a house fire or
the infamous “Patrick the Pole,” Carter focused on the human element. “I am looking for soundbites about
how people feel and how they make other people feel,” he said. “Anyone can tell you the facts of the story. Ultimately, what you take away is that story made me feel a different way.” Aiming to tell people sto-
ries through the lens of how others see life, he left sports reporting. In 2019 he moved to Man-
hattan and soon after, he joined Newsmax as a book- ing producer for The Chris Salcedo Show. He noticed there were
RALLY Mike Carter and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene attend the July 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in support of Donald Trump’s campaign to return to the White House.
32 NEWSMAX | JULY 2025
so many stories about how the pandemic was impact- ing local businesses and people, so he grabbed his cellphone, went to a bar in Staten Island, and started
capturing the growing pushback on COVID-19 lockdowns. The segment earned executive approval — and more field assignments. Carter’s breakthrough came on Jan.
6, 2021, when he covered what many thought would be President Donald Trump’s farewell speech. As the crowd migrated from the National Mall to the Capitol he followed, landing in the middle of a moment that would become a turning point in U.S. history. “What started with a 4 a.m. wake-
up call ended up being a 19-hour day,” Carter said. “It started as a goodbye for President Trump and ended with half the country saying we don’t feel like the election was legitimate.” He spent the next few years cover-
ing a “potpourri” of New York stories, including anti-Israel protests at Colum- bia University, vaccine mandate con- troversies, and Trump’s legal battles. When Trump announced his 2024 campaign, Newsmax tapped Carter to hit the trail. What started as an “insurmountable
effort,” he said, turned into something as extraordinary as pulling a “perfect straight in poker” as he watched sup- port for Trump explode as crowds wait- ed hours just to catch a glimpse of the former president. The biggest takeaway from covering
the campaign trail is that no matter where he was, there was a familiar feel- ing at every rally. “Everyone is welcome at a Trump
rally,” he said. “It was a really posi- tive experience.” Stationed in Pennsylvania on elec-
tion night, Carter witnessed his time as a correspondent come full circle, from Jan. 6 to Trump’s victorious return. His rapport with the Trump cam-
paign team created a natural transi- tion for his current role covering the White House.
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