Topline
President Donald Trump fired at least six National Security Council officials after a push from far-right activist and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer in a 30-minute meeting on Thursday, multiple outlets reported, months after Loomer’s presence in Trump’s campaign sparked concern among his inner circle.
Loomer is a far-right conspiracy theorist who has spread hoaxes about the September 11 attacks. … More
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Loomer presented Trump with a list of national security officials she felt were disloyal to the president and urged Trump to fire them, the New York Times reported, citing an unnamed U.S. official with direct knowledge.
National Security Advisor Michael Waltz was present in the meeting, the Times reported, in which Loomer “excoriated” the officials in front of him.
Among the fired officials are Brian Walsh, a senior director of intelligence; David Feith, a senior director of technology and national security; and Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs, multiple outlets reported
Waltz was not fired, nor was Alex Wong, the principal deputy national security adviser, who was reportedly one of Loomer’s top targets.
Who Is Laura Loomer—and Why Is She So Controversial?
Loomer is a two-time congressional candidate and far-right activist with a significant social media following who has achieved notoriety for promoting various conspiracy theories and making inflammatory remarks, some of which have even repulsed other far-right figures. Loomer has dubbed herself a “proud Islamophobe” and posted a video on X in 2023 that said “9/11 was an Inside Job!” Loomer also stirred outrage and was rebuked by another far-right conspiracy theorist, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., after she posted that the White House “will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center” if former Vice President Kamala Harris, whose mother was from India, had won the presidential race. Greene called Loomer’s post “appalling and extremely racist.” Loomer’s online rhetoric has resulted in her being banned on various platforms, including Twitter in 2018, though she was reinstated after Elon Musk purchased the platform and renamed it X. Loomer protested her Twitter ban by handcuffing herself to its New York headquarters, where she remained for two hours until police removed her. She was also banned from ridesharing apps Uber and Lyft after posting that “someone needs to create a non Islamic form of Uber or Lyft because I never want to support another Islamic immigrant driver.”
What Are Loomer’s Ties To Trump?
During Trump’s race for the White House, he reportedly sought to hire Loomer for a campaign role, but ultimately did not after his inner circle feared Loomer’s history of spreading conspiracy theories would spark backlash. Despite not working for the Trump campaign, Loomer was a frequent presence around Trump in the lead-up to the election, which concerned Trump allies. In September 2024, Loomer traveled with Trump multiple times, including on the plane ride to his presidential debate against Harris. At that debate, Trump repeated a false conspiracy theory promoted by Loomer, that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating dogs and cats, though the theory had been debunked. Some unnamed Republican sources, including one close to the campaign, told Semafor they were concerned Loomer had influenced Trump on the false conspiracy, though a source told NBC News the two did not speak on the plane ride to the debate. Trump again stirred backlash after he attended a Sept. 11 memorial with Loomer, which sparked controversy over Loomer’s history of endorsing Sept. 11 conspiracy theories.
Further Reading
Trump ally Laura Loomer swatted down after posting bigoted attack on Harris (Politico)
Trump attends 9/11 event with a far-right activist who pushed a conspiracy theory about the tragedy (NBC News)
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