Trump says he doesn’t control far-right agitator Laura Loomer, calls her a ‘free spirit’ | CNN Politics

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CNN
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Former President Donald Trump said Friday that he doesn’t control far-right agitator Laura Loomer, whom he described as a “free spirit” and “supporter.”

“Laura’s 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. I’m not sure why you asked that question, but Laura is a supporter. I don’t control Laura. Laura has to say what she wants. She’s a free spirit,” Trump said at a news conference in Southern California in response to a question from CNN’s Kristen Holmes about his allies expressing concern about their close relationship in recent days.

Pressed by Holmes that it’s his allies who have expressed concern, Trump said, “Look, I can’t tell Laura what to do. Laura’s a supporter. I have a lot of supporters.”

Loomer has made a career out of courting controversy. Rising out of the radical right-wing online ecosystem, she has regularly tested the willingness of internet companies to enforce their terms of service. She once described herself as a “proud Islamophobe” and tweeted in 2018 that “someone needs to create a non Islamic form of Uber or Lyft because I never want to support another Islamic immigrant driver.” She was eventually banned from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Loomer told CNN she is not “anti-Muslim.”

Last year, she posted a video on social media claiming that the attack on the World Trade Center towers was an “inside job,” an illogical but pervasive conspiracy theory that continues to haunt the families of victims and survivors. She twice ran for Congress in her home state of Florida, including once to represent Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago, almost exclusively campaigning on her allegiance to the former president. She lost both races.

The former president has long embraced conspiracy theories and has regularly aligned himself with those who peddle in them, especially if they support him. He entered the political arena as one of the leading purveyors of myths about President Barack Obama’s birthplace. And after he lost the 2020 election, Trump surrounded himself with people who claimed with questionable or debunked evidence they could prove he won.

But several people close to the former president say Loomer has contributed to some of the unseemly conspiracy theories Trump has elevated since Harris replaced Biden on the ticket, a change that has left the GOP nominee increasingly unsettled by the political landscape he now faces.

Two days before Tuesday’s presidential debate, Loomer said that if Vice President Kamala Harris, who is half Indian, wins in the 2024 election, “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center.”

In response to questions about Loomer’s racist and conspiratorial comments, Trump said that he had just heard about it for the first time, and that Loomer was a person with “strong opinions.”

“She’s a strong person. She’s got strong opinions, and I don’t know what she said, but that’s not up to me. She’s a supporter,” Trump said.

“I do know that she may have said something based on what you’re telling me, but I don’t know what she said, but I’ll go take a look and I’ll put out a statement later on.”

Trump ally and conservative Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene condemned the remark, calling it “appalling and extremely racist.”

When Trump landed in Philadelphia on Tuesday before his debate against Harris, Loomer was among the close allies seen deboarding his private plane. Some saw it as no coincidence that hours later, an erratic Trump exclaimed from the debate stage that immigrants were “eating the pets” of Ohioans, referencing a fast-escalating rumor about Haitian migrants circulated this week by the online right, including Loomer. Trump’s own running mate, Sen. JD Vance, had spread that false claim before acknowledging on Tuesday that it may not be true.

On Friday, Trump said the “real threat is what’s happening at our border” when asked about bomb threats in Springfield, Ohio, and schools being evacuated as he and his Republican allies spread the debunked conspiracy theory. Trump said earlier in the press conference that “maybe” he would hold a campaign event in Springfield.

In response to another reporter’s question, Trump downplayed how Loomer traveled with him on his plane to the Philadelphia debate along with close advisers and family members.

“A lot of people do. It’s a very big plane,” Trump said.

This story has been updated with additional developments.