Trump-Backed Candidate Tells Reporter To 'Put Down The Crack Pipe' For Believing Biden Won

A Republican candidate in Arizona closely tied to former Republican President Donald Trump raised eyebrows this week when she told a TV news reporter to "put down the crack pipe" for believing that Democratic President Joe Biden actually won last year's election.

Kari Lake, a candidate for governor of Arizona, made the comment at an event at Arizona State University hosted by the ASU College Republicans group. She also mocked Biden's son Hunter's past struggles with addiction in her comments.

Lake is herself a former television news reporter.

See the exchange below.

Lake also insinuated that the reporter was lying by acknowledging Biden's win and Trump's loss.

"This is what's wrong with the media. You guys are pushing a narrative. You know that Joe Biden didn't win by 81 million votes."

The reporter shot back:

"I do know he won."

It was then that Lake made her "crack pipe" remark--while also getting in a dig at Biden's son Hunter's struggles with addiction.

"By 81 million votes? You really need to put down the crack pipe -- Hunter's crack pipe. You really believe Joe Biden won by 81 million votes?"

Lake is correct about one point: Biden did not win by 81 million votes. Rather he received 81 million votes total in the election. How Hunter Biden plays into this is anyone's guess.

Lake is former President Trump's pick for governor of Arizona, who is hosting a fundraising event for her next month at his Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida.

She left Phoenix's Fox 10 news, where she was an anchor for two decades, to launch her gubernatorial campaign earlier this year. During the latter years of her tenure at the station, she had become known for pushing conspiracy theories on her personal Twitter account, including Trump's totally baseless "Big Lie" election fraud theories.

On Twitter, people had a lot to say about her "crack pipe" moment.

Lake is currently the frontrunner in the Arizona gubernatorial race, according to the most recent polling done in August and September.