Washington: Former US President Donald Trump sought to distance from far-right activist and ally Laura Loomer's recent racist remarks towards Democrat Vice President and his presidential rival Kamala Harris, which drew rebukes from both Trump's allies and the White House. However, Trump defended his ties with Loomer and called her a "free spirit", saying she has spoken very positively about his presidential campaign.
Loomer came under fire for a social media post on Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Indian heritage, that has been described as "racist" for including cultural stereotypes. Sharing Harris' post with her grandparents, Loomer said if the Vice President wins the upcoming the elections then the White House "will smell like curry and White House speeches will be facilitated via a call centre and the American people will only be able to convey their feedback through a customer satisfaction survey at the end of the call that nobody will understand."
Laura's controversial post sparked a furious response from one of her party's top leaders. US Representative Greene called it an "appalling and extremely racist" comment that did not represent Trump, Republicans or the 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) movement. "This is appalling and extremely racist. It does not represent who we are as Republicans or MAGA. This does not represent President Trump. This type of behavior should not be tolerated ever. @LauraLoomer should take this down," Greene said.
What did Trump say on Loomer?
In a statement released on Friday, Trump said he did not agree with Loomer's past statements, but he still welcomed her support. Trump made clear that she does not work for his campaign, even though Loomer travelled on his plane for much of the week. "Laura has been a supporter of mine. Just like a lot of people are supporters, and she’s been a supporter of mine. She speaks very positively of the campaign," he said.
“I don’t control Laura. Laura — she’s a free spirit. Well, I don’t know. I mean, look, I can’t tell Laura what to do,” Trump said. "She is a strong person, she’s got strong opinions, and I don’t know what she said, but that’s not up to me." Loomer, who commands a following on X of 1.2 million people, previously suggested the September 11, 2001, attacks were an inside job, a position that she has backtracked on since.
NBC News asked Trump whether he’d been informed of Loomer’s conspiracy theories. “I don’t know that much about it. No, I don’t,” Trump said. “I know she’s a big fan of the campaign, but I really don’t know.” Loomer showed up at Trump's debate Tuesday and then in New York on Wednesday to commemorate the 9/11 attacks.
White House, Republicans condemn Loomer's remarks
Loomer's remarks towards Harris have been condemned by the White House and Republicans alike. "It is, repugnant, these types of comments, it is un-American to say these types of things, exactly the kind of hateful and divisive rhetoric that we should denounce. No leader should ever associate with someone who spreads this kind of ugliness, this kind of racist poison," said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.
In an online post, Loomer dismissed the White House criticism, denying she was a racist and suggesting that Jean-Pierre, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, was critical because she didn't like Loomer's social media post on Thursday about a false claim that Haitian immigrants are eating pets.
Several prominent Trump-supporting Republicans, including Senators Lindsey Graham and Thom Tillis, also denounced Loomer after her comment about Harris. "Laura Loomer is a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans. A DNC plant couldn't do a better job than she is doing to hurt President Trump's chances of winning re-election. Enough," said Tillis on X.
“The history of statements by Ms Loomer are beyond disturbing,” Senator Lindsey Graham, also a Republican told The Washington Post on Thursday. In a separate post on Friday, she said the Republicans attacking her were jealous that they were not with Trump on his plane.
(with inputs from agencies)
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