On Thursday, President Trump fired six officials of the National Security Council: the decision came following a meeting at the Oval Office with far-right activist Laura Loomer, who presented the MAGA leader with a list of people deemed disloyal to the government.
The meeting was also attended by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who tried to defend some of his staff members. However, according to some in attendance, it would appear that Loomer, who has become known as a leading “Trump whisperer,” has more influence on the NSC than Waltz himself.
The 31-year-old is a well-known conspiracy theorist famous for making highly controversial claims such as that the September 11, 2001 attack on the Twin Towers was actually an “inside job.” A fierce supporter of Donald Trump, Loomer has also garnered attention in recent years as Trump’s attack dog, ripping apart the MAGA leader’s rivals on social media.
During the last election campaign, for example, she lobbed venomous comments against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, saying that if she won the White House it would start smelling like curry, a clear dig at the former vice president’s Indian origins.
During the Republican primaries, Loomer also attacked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ wife Casey, claiming she had lied about having breast cancer.
On Thursday night, while flying to Florida aboard Air Force One, Trump called Loomer a “great patriot” and denied that she had anything to do with the firings.
Waltz, already in the spotlight for the Signal Gate affair, was not fired, nor was one of Loomer’s top targets, Deputy National Security Adviser Alex Wong. Several other officials who had been assigned to the council also were reassigned to their home agencies.
Among those who lost their posts, however, are Brian Walsh, senior director for intelligence; Maggie Dougherty, senior director for international organizations; and Thomas Boodry, senior director for legislative affairs.
At present, it is unclear how Waltz took these dismissals. However, such measures show how the adviser’s own position is far from stable. According to the New York Times, Trump reportedly has refused to fire Waltz over the chaos generated by the Signal Gate, only so as not to give “satisfaction to the media,” and certainly not because of his confidence in his official.
