The former president has reportedly been talked out of giving a campaign role to the longtime social media provocateur and former Congressional candidate. But even for Donald Trump, this hire would have been a big mistake.
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What We Know: The Latest on Donald Trump
One of the things former President Donald Trump has been known for is giving praise and consideration to people who praise him, regardless of the backgrounds and histories of such people. This is what has Trump saying positive things about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and stating of QAnon believers that “I understand they like me very much.”
That same mindset appears to have convinced Trump that he wanted to give a 2024 campaign role to Laura Loomer.
The New York Times reported earlier this week that Donald Trump was looking at adding Loomer, a longtime provocateur who has described herself as “the most banned woman in the world,” after she was banished from a long list of social networks and services, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, PayPal, Uber, Lyft, and UberEats.
Known for bashing Muslims, for once declaring herself a white nationalist, and also for stunts like handcuffing herself to the doors of Twitter’s New York headquarters in 2018 while wearing a yellow star like Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust, Loomer returned to Twitter following Elon Musk’s purchase of the company last year. In between, she took a couple of shots at running for Congress in Florida, and after she lost a Republican primary in 2022, Loomer pulled the Trump-like move of refusing to concede and claiming the election had been rigged against her.
Earlier this spring, Loomer made news for confronting a security guard outside a protest of Ron DeSantis book-signing in Florida, and has clearly backed Trump in his 2024 bid to return to office.
The big picture is, Loomer has never shown particular acumen as a political strategist or figure. She has been kicked off platforms, failed to win Congressional races, and done little of consequence aside from drawing attention to herself- something she has long been limited from doing, by virtue of being banned from most social media networks.
But one thing she has done is be loyal to Donald Trump.
Per the Times, Donald Trump “met with Ms. Loomer recently and directed advisers to give her a role in support of his candidacy,” and was present for Trump’s recent post-indictment speech at Mar-a-Lago.
A Mistake?
Some Donald Trump aides, however, “were said to have concerns that such a hire would cause a backlash, given her history of inflammatory statements and her embrace of the Republican Party’s fringes,” and a campaign source told the Times that the campaign’s plans to hire Loomer were no longer active.
Reached by the newspaper, Loomer touted her loyalty repeatedly, but shared little besides that in terms of what value she could provide to Trump’s campaign.
“Out of respect for President Trump, I’m not going to comment on private conversations that I had with the president,” Loomer told the Times. “The president knows I have always been a Trump loyalist, and that I’m committed to helping him win re-election in 2024. He likes me very much. And it’s a shame that he’s surrounded by some people that run to a publication that is notorious for attacking him in order to try to cut me at the knees instead of being loyal to President Trump and respecting their confidentiality agreements.”
A political figure with a similar style to Loomer’s — although one with more success at actually getting elected to Congress — vocally opposed her potential hire once news of it became public.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) last week publicly warned Trump not to bring Loomer aboard, calling her “mentally unstable and a documented liar,” and tying her to “alleged FBI informant and weirdo Nick Fuentes.”
“Never hire or do business with a liar,” the Georgia Congresswoman said in the tweet. “Liars are toxic and poisonous to everything they touch. I’ll make sure he knows.”
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Expertise and Experience:
Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
