Trump Ally's Racist Remarks Spark Republican Party Divide

Trump Ally Laura Loomer’s Racist Comments Draw Rebuke From Marjorie Taylor Greene

Senator Lindsey Graham asked Donald Trump to stay away from Laura Loomer, a right-wing conspiracy believer who went with the presidential candidate this week and wrote racist things about Vice President Kamala Harris.

Loomer, who was with Trump at the presidential debate and 9/11 events, wrote this weekend that the White House would smell like curry if Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential pick, wins the election. Loomer said this about a photo on X by the vice president, showing her as a kid visiting her grandparents in India.

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The 31-year-old's presence next to Trump caused arguments in the Republican Party, as Graham and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene strongly disagreed with Loomer's words and her possible impact on the presidential candidate.

"This person's past is really bad," Graham (R., S.C.) told the Huffington Post about Loomer. He said that Trump "would help himself by making sure this doesn't become a bigger issue."

Loomer answered on X by saying Graham has "never been loyal to President Trump" and made a guess about his sexual orientation.

In a statement, someone speaking for Graham said Loomer "is bad for society. There should be no important place in this country for her awful, mean, hurtful, racist words and views." The speaker said Graham agrees with Greene's worry about how Loomer's presence could affect the campaign and the country.

Loomer didn't answer when asked for comment Thursday.

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Greene, a Republican from Georgia who also believes in conspiracy theories, scolded Loomer, saying she could be a problem during an important time in the election—a worry other Republicans close to Trump have privately shared.

"This is shocking and very racist," Greene wrote on X late Wednesday, talking about Loomer's comment about Harris. "It doesn't show who we are as Republicans or MAGA. This doesn't represent President Trump. This kind of behavior should never be okay. @LauraLoomer should remove this."

On Thursday, Greene added that she didn't think Loomer had the experience or the right attitude to give advice.

Loomer said on X that her comment about Harris was a joke. She said she stands by everything she says and wouldn't take down any tweets. She also called Greene antisemitic for writing a conspiracy theory years ago that space lasers paid for by a Jewish family caused wildfires in California.

Loomer joined Trump on Wednesday at the 9/11 anniversary event in New York and then went with him to Shanksville, Pa., where one of the hijacked planes crashed.

Last year, Loomer shared on social media a video claiming 9/11 was an "inside job," talking about a long-running conspiracy theory. She told CNN she didn't understand the problem with her going to the memorial.

"I've never said that Islamic terrorists didn't do the 9/11 attacks," Loomer told CNN. "In fact, the media calls me anti-Muslim exactly because I spend so much time talking about the dangers of Islamic terrorism in America."

When asked for comment, someone speaking for Greene pointed to another X post Greene made Thursday that said the Make America Great Again movement should focus on inflation, the economy and illegal immigration at the border. "Laura Loomer's clear lies, instability, and crazy toxicity have no place in MAGA," Greene said in the post.

Someone speaking for the Trump campaign didn't answer when asked for comment. The Harris campaign didn't answer when asked for comment.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called Loomer's comments "disgusting" and "un-American" and said it was "exactly the kind of hateful and divisive talk…that we should speak out against."

"No leader should ever be around someone who spreads this kind of ugliness, this kind of racist poison, that's what this is," Jean-Pierre said.

Greene has fought with other members of Congress, including from her own party, for past comments believing in conspiracy theories. She has said that she was sorry for those statements and that she had been getting wrong information.

Loomer has also helped spread the false idea that Haitian migrants who have moved to Springfield, Ohio, have taken pets and eaten them—something Trump brought up at Tuesday's debate with Harris. Local officials say they have no proof of that. Loomer in a Sept. 9 post on X mentioned "worrying reports" coming from Springfield.

Loomer has long made some helpers around Trump uncomfortable. Last year, Trump talked about bringing her into the campaign. Around that time Loomer was attacking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who was thinking about running for president against Trump, and his wife, Casey. One attack said Casey DeSantis was using her breast cancer diagnosis for sympathy.

The idea of hiring Loomer was stopped after a report in the New York Times, which caused backlash among top Trump supporters. But Trump kept paying attention to Loomer and liking her support, according to several people close to him.

In January, Loomer went with Trump to campaign in Iowa, the first GOP voting state. Days later Trump praised Loomer during an event, calling her "really talented" and "amazing" and asking her to stand for applause.

"You want to try and have her on your side," Trump said as Loomer laughed.

Loomer that day answered criticism, writing on X, "The only people who are worried about President Trump embracing me are people who are disloyal to him and have something to hide. I've been nothing but good for President Trump."