In a Truth Social post, Donald Trump said that Laura Loomer does not work for the campaign.
Washington:
Donald Trump has defended his ties to Laura Loomer, who has come under fire from some of her Republican allies for espousing conspiracy theories and making racist comments, including against Kamala Harris.
“Laura has been supportive of me, as have a lot of people, and she has been supportive of me as well. She speaks very positively of the campaign,” former President Trump said Friday at a news conference in Southern California.
He was responding to a question from a reporter about his allies who have expressed concern about his close relationship with Loomer in recent days.
“I don't control Laura. Laura is 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 has strong opinions and I don't know what she said, but that's not up to me,” he added.
Several of Loomer's social media posts this week came under fire, including one in which she made a nod to a conspiracy theory about the Sept. 11 attacks.
“23 years later, there are still many unanswered questions,” Loomer posted Friday, alongside a video of Trump in 2001 questioning whether planes could cause explosions like the ones that occurred at the Twin Towers on 9/11,” Loomer wrote.
Loomer, often considered a right-wing conspiracy theorist, in another post on Sunday said that “the White House will smell like curry and White House speeches will be facilitated through a call center” if Harris wins the Nov. 5 presidential election.
Harris, a Democrat, will face Trump in the November election.
NBC News asked Trump if he had been briefed on Loomer's conspiracy theories.
“I don't know much about it. No, I don't know,” he said, adding, “I know she's a big supporter of the campaign, but I really don't know.” Trump then attempted to distance himself from Loomer's remarks, though without specifying what they were.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Loomer “does not work for the campaign. She is a private citizen and a long-time supporter.” Even in that post, Trump defended Loomer, saying, “Like the many millions of people who support me, she is tired of seeing radical leftist Marxists and fascists violently attack and smear me.” Several Republicans denounced Loomer for her comments.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called Loomer a “crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly spouts disgusting nonsense intended to divide Republicans.”
“Ms. Loomer's record of statements is beyond disturbing,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, also a Republican, told the Washington Post on Thursday.
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