Donald trump on Friday defended Laura Loomer after some of the former president's closest allies this week raised concerns about his relationship with the far-right activist.
“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. I’m not sure why you asked that question,” trump told reporters at a press conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle blasted Loomer, who repeatedly appeared alongside trump this week — including at a Sept. 11 memorial event — as she promoted baseless and inflammatory remarks about immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, on her social media accounts. Loomer lashed out at Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., in response to their criticisms.
“I don’t control Laura. Laura — she’s a, she’s a free spirit. Well, I don’t know. I mean, look, I can’t tell Laura what to do,” trump added on Friday.
Loomer's relationship with trump came under particular scrutiny after the former president mentioned a conspiracy theory about immigrants eating pets during a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday. The baseless theory, which city officials and police in Springfield have denied, originated online and spread through far-right circles.
Immediately following his press conference, 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,” he said, adding, “I know she’s a big fan of the campaign, but I really don’t know.”
Asked what Loomer brings to the campaign, trump responded, “Well, she brings a spirit to us that a lot of people have, we have very spirited people. And in all fairness to her, she hates seeing what’s happened to the country.”
He later tried to create some distance, saying in a Truth Social post that Loomer "doesn’t work for the Campaign. She’s a private citizen and longtime supporter. I disagree with the statements she made but, 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, even to the point of doing anything to stop their Political Opponent, ME!"
Asked what specific statements of hers that trump disagreed with, a campaign spokesperson referred NBC News back to the candidate's Truth Social post.
Loomer did not immediately return a request for comment Friday, nor did the Harris campaign.
Several of Loomer's other posts on social media this week came under fire, including one where she nodded to a conspiracy theory about the 9/11 attacks.
"23 years later, and there’s still a lot of unanswered questions," Loomer posted Friday, alongside a video of trump in 2001 questioning whether airplanes could cause explosions like the ones that happened at the Twin Towers on 9/11.
In another post, Loomer said the "White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center" if Harris wins the presidential election.
That statement earned her condemnation from Greene, who called the comment "appalling and extremely racist."
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing Thursday of Loomer, “No leader should ever associate with someone who spreads this kind of ugliness, this kind of racist poison."
