Trump's BFF, Laura Loomer, Is Increasingly the Face of MAGA

If one can bear to listen to Donald Trump's (and JD Vance's) constant lies - e.g., the continued lies about Haitians in Springfield, Ohio - the overall theme is always about hatred and disparagement of others and, with Trump promises of retribution against anyone who opposes him or calls out his moral bankruptcy and misogynistic words and behavior.  Trump's only real motivation for seeking re-election is his desire to end the federal criminal against him should he regain the White House.  Yes, power and renewed grifting opportunities are added attractions, but avoiding prison is the real driving push.  To win, there are no limits to Trump will say and do.  Hence, his blaming Democrats for the disgruntled former Republican would be shooter at Trump's Palm Beach golf course when his own anti-Ukraine positions may have been the shooter's axe to grind with Trump - Trump ignores his own irresponsible behavior of being on a difficult to secure golf course in the first place.  Meanwhile, Trump continues to embrace individuals who the Republican Party of old would never have allowed into the party leadership circle.  White supremacists, neo-Nazis, "Christian" religious extremists, anti-Semites, and outright crazies are all welcomed in today's Trump dominated GOP.   Perhaps no one represents this welcoming of deplorable individuals more than total crackpot and bigot, Laura Loomer, Trump's new BFF.  A column in the Washington Post looks at Trump and this toxic woman who epitomizes the hatred and conspiracy theories that consume today's Republican Party and MAGA world. Here are excerpts:

It’s impossible, unproductive and, frankly, tedious to respond to every Trump outrage. So I try to pick my shots and spare readers what would otherwise be an unbearable barrage. But the moment has arrived again — this time in the repulsive form of Laura Loomer, the far-right bigot, conspiracy theorist and, in recent days, campaign trail companion of the former president.

As with other Trump provocations — abjuring the intention to be a dictator “except for day one”; calling for the “termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution” to deal with supposed election fraud; praising those charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection as “hostages” — his association with Loomer is not an aberration but an illustration. It demonstrates who Donald Trump is and underscores the danger he poses.

Loomer is no outlier in Trumpworld. Rather, she is a particularly pungent example of the types of people with whom Trump has chosen to ally himself, from Stephen K. Bannon to Roger Stone to Stephen Miller. This is a man who dined at Mar-a-Lago with white nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, whom Trump described as “a guest whom I had never met and knew nothing about.”

Loomer, though, might take the cake. The 31-year-old twice-failed congressional candidate, professional provocateur and self-described “investigative journalist” has proclaimed herself a “#ProudIslamophobe,” termed Islam a “cancer on society” and said “Muslims should not be allowed to seek positions of political office in this country.” She posted a video on X that labeled 9/11 an “Inside Job,” although she didn’t use the phrase herself. She responded to a news story about the drowning deaths of 2,000 migrants with a hand clap emoji and the words “Good. … Here’s to 2,000 more.”

How extreme is Loomer? So extreme that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) described her as “mentally unstable and a documented liar” and spoke with Trump about Loomer. . . . . Loomer’s statements are “beyond disturbing,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told The Post.

“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 reelection. Enough,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) wrote on social media Friday. The Wall Street Journal editorialized to express its dismay about Trump’s “Loomer Tunes,” wondering, “Is he trying to lose the election?”

And for good reason. Because Loomer’s extremism — her breathtaking offensiveness and undisguised racism — is not an artifact of the past. It’s in the present tense. . . . In a July post, she labeled Harris “a drug using prostitute.” Urging Republicans to go after Harris for not having biological children, the childless Loomer added: “I’m willing to bet she’s had so many abortions that she damaged her uterus.

Loomer’s extremism isn’t limited to going after Harris. On a podcast in June about whether Democrats should be prosecuted and jailed if Trump wins the election, Loomer interjected, “Not just jailed, they should get the death penalty. You know, we actually used to have the punishment for treason in this country.”

Any sane politician — any decent human being, for that matter — would stay as far away from a person like this as possible. Not Trump. There was Loomer on the plane with him Tuesday en route to his debate with Harris. There was Loomer by his side again the next day, at events in New York and Pennsylvania to commemorate the attack.

Hence the Greene-Graham-Tillis-WSJ agita. . . . “I disagree with the statements she made,” Trump wrote, “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!”

[A] video Loomer filmed last month with Trump at his Bedminster, N.J., country club offers a revealing glimpse into why Trump likes having her around. “You are a very opinionated lady, I have to tell you that,” Trump says to Loomer, “and in my opinion, I like that.” For Trump, all sins can be forgiven for those who heap enough praise on him. But also, for him, Loomer’s offensiveness isn’t a bug, it’s a feature.

All of which is to say, the real problem here isn’t Laura Loomer. It’s Donald Trump. A man who invites this woman on his plane is not a man we should allow back inside the White House.