Laura Loomer, a right-wing provocateur who accompanied Donald Trump earlier this week to multiple 9/11 memorial ceremonies and Tuesday night’s presidential debate, made racist and conspiratorial remarks, but Trump still hasn’t condemned her.
Speaking at a press conference near Los Angeles, Trump stated, “Laura’s been a supporter of mine.” Republican allies had questioned his continued ties to Loomer, who had previously identified as a “proud Islamophobe” and promoted numerous extreme conspiracy theories.
Trump claimed during the press conference that Loomer has “strong opinions,” but he denied knowing about her recent remarks, which included a post on X where she drew on racist tropes by stating that “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center” if his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, were to win in November. Immigrants from Jamaica and India brought their daughter, Harris.
“Laura is out of my hands. According to Trump, Laura must express her desires. “I am not qualified to advise Laura.”
Nevertheless, Trump then sought to further separate himself from Loomer using his Truth Social account, stating, “I disagree with the statements she made” and characterizing her as “a private citizen and longtime supporter” who “doesn’t work for the Campaign.” I To be sure, Trump did defend Loomer in that article, saying, “like the many millions of people who support me, she is tired of watching the Radical Left Marxists and Fascists violently attack and smear me.”
Trump appeared agitated in a subsequent social media post in which he attacked the media following the backlash, and he shown more bluster than normal, yelling at times, during that night’s rally in Las Vegas.
Speaking out openly about their worries that Loomer is hurting Trump’s chances against Harris—who is whipping up Democratic enthusiasm that escalated with her debate performance Tuesday—has frightened some prominent Trump supporters, who have rarely done so before. On Friday, Harris traveled around Pennsylvania to campaign.
Republican Georgia lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is notorious for propagating conspiracy theories, criticized the curry post, describing it as “appalling and extremely racist” and stating that it did not reflect the “Make America Great Again” policy of Trump.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) characterized Loomer as “a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans” and compared her actions to those of a Democratic Party “plant” whose goal is to undermine President Trump’s re-election prospects.
In 2022, Trump held dinner at his Mar-a-Lago club with Nick Fuentes, a far-right activist who had spread antisemitic and white supremacist language on his internet platform; this is just one example of Trump’s history of associating with extremists. Before having dinner with the artist formerly known as Kanye West, Trump claimed he “knew nothing about” Fuentes.
Throughout his campaign, Trump has focused on his conspiracies.
When asked about Loomer’s connections to Trump, Harris remained mum. Similar to his previous three bids for the presidency, Trump has once again dragged the presidential campaign into a discourse of far-right conspiracies and unfounded rumors, which have had real-world ramifications.
During Tuesday’s presidential debate, which was viewed by over 67 million people, he brought up an unfounded accusation of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, hunting and eating pets. Harris, on the other hand, put him on the defensive multiple times regarding the economy and abortion. He has further bolstered the accusations in his social media posts, which have sparked millions of debates online and had devastating effects on the community.
On Friday, schools and government institutions in Springfield were evacuated for a second day due to bomb threats that were directed at the homes of the mayor and other local officials, as well as Springfield local Hall and schools.
Even though Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, has admitted the allegations may be unfounded, he and his supporters have brought them up time and over again in relation to dogs.
On Friday, Trump ignored municipal leaders’ fears and declared that Springfield will be the target of his operation, fulfilling his promise to carry out the greatest deportation operation in U.S. history if reelected.
That whatever is occurring at our border constitutes the “real threat,” he declared.
The Haitian community was “under attack” according to President Joe Biden, who condemned the bogus charges on Friday.
During the discussion, Trump launched the assaults that his supporters had anticipated.
While standing on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Trump unleashed a litany of assaults against Harris and California during a news conference at his golf course in the Los Angeles region.
While praising Harris, Trump added, “She destroyed San Francisco and she destroyed the state.” Harris was a senator from California, attorney general for the state, and district attorney of San Francisco before becoming vice president. His staff had advised him to center his debate criticism on her alleged leniency toward crime in her past posts, and he dutifully did just that.
Anxieties over illegal immigration persisted in Trump’s rhetoric, as he maintained his desire to be regarded as “the border president” and asserted that “thousands of people being killed by illegal migrants.”
The truth is that violent crime is actually decreasing according to national statistics, and neither the country nor the big cities where many migrants have settled have seen an upsurge in violent crime.