MAGA Family Turns Against Radical Trump Associate

Photo: Chris Szagola Associated Press Far-right activist Laura Loomer arrives with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at Philadelphia International Airport, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia, ahead of the presidential debate.

Sébastien Blanc – Agence France-Presse in Washington

Published at 1:36 p.m. Updated at 7:42 p.m.

• United States

By including a sulphurous far-right influencer in his inner circle this week, Donald Trump was far from imagining the fire he was going to light in his usually close-knit “Make America Great Again” family.

The fiery and highly criticized Laura Loomer was seen prominently on Wednesday alongside the Republican candidate at the September 11 commemoration ceremony in New York.

The day before, the 31-year-old activist was backstage at her debate against Kamala Harris in Philadelphia.

The problem is that two days earlier, Laura Loomer had published a message on her X account, which has 1.3 million subscribers, that alarmed some of the most radical supporters of the billionaire.

If Kamala Harris is elected, “it will smell like curry in the White House,” she wrote, referring to the Democrat's mother's Indian origins.

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“Extremely Racist”

This was the straw that broke the camel's back for several Trump supporters.

“This is appalling and extremely racist,” responded Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is from the far right wing of the Republican Party. “This does not represent who we are as Republicans or as MAGA. This does not represent President Trump.”

“This is sickening. Someone has to stop her,” commented Willie Montague, a congressional candidate in Florida, a state where Donald Trump lives and where Laura Loomer ran twice before voters, unsuccessfully.

The pasionaria responded virulently. “The Republicans who are attacking me are simply jealous that I was not on the plane with President Trump. “It's that simple,” she said on her X account on Friday.

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Asked that same day in California about Laura Loomer, Donald Trump said: “She's a free spirit.” “Laura says what she wants,” he added.

Then, a few hours later, the president adjusted his position: “Laura Loomer does not work for my campaign team […]. I do not agree with her statements but, like the many millions of people who support me, she is tired of seeing Marxists and fascists from the radical left attack me and smear me,” he posted on his social network.

The one who presents herself as an “investigative journalist” is accused by her many detractors of being racist, homophobic, transphobic and Islamophobic.

Like her mentor, who is 47 years older than her, she is known for outrageous statements, which cause a stir on social networks.

“Toxic”

She has said that Islam is “a cancer,” that 9/11 was the result of an “internal conspiracy,” and that Joe Biden was behind the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in July.

Anthony Scaramucci, who served as White House communications director for 11 days during the Republican’s sole term, assured him that Laura Loomer provides the candidate with much of the vitriolic messaging he posts on his social media all day long. “She lights the matches in his mouth,” he said graphically on CNN.

“This person’s past is really toxic,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told the Huffington Post.

This Republican Party leader even allowed himself to slip in a piece of advice to Donald Trump, saying that the candidate would “do himself a favor by making sure this story doesn’t get out of hand,” that is, by removing the troublemaker woman from his team of collaborators.

Lesser-known but also a Republican senator, Thom Tillis followed suit. “Enough,” he implored in a message on X.

“Laura Loomer is a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly spouts bullshit designed to divide Republicans. “A Democratic Party undercover agent wouldn't do any better to hurt Trump's chances of being reelected,” he said.

“Drunk as a Fiddle”

Laura Loomer has not shown any signs of appeasement, quite the contrary. In a long message on Friday, she assured that Lindsey Graham was disloyal to Donald Trump, adding that he was “drunk as a Fiddle” on the famous night of the debate.

On Kamala Harris's side, we are watching with interest this climate of score-settling within the Trumpist family.

“Laura Loomer is not the problem. The problem is Trump,” commented David Plouffe, an advisor to the Democrat's campaign team.