Laura Loomer has attacked former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in a series of blistering social media posts.
Writing on X, Loomer, an independent investigative journalist known in part for her anti-Muslim rhetoric and for sharing conspiracy theories, called the journalist “Tucker Qatarlson” and claimed he is being “bought off by the Muslim Brotherhood.” Her accusations came amid an ongoing feud with Carlson over his views on the Trump administration’s Israel policy.
Newsweek contacted Loomer and Carlson by email outside of normal business hours to comment on this story.
Why It Matters
Despite not holding a government or administration role, Loomer has become an influential voice in the MAGA movement and has been credited for shaping a number of White House decisions. She successfully campaigned for a pause on any visitor visas for individuals from Gaza while the agency reviewed its internal processes for offering visas in August, and called for the firing of a number of Trump administration figures who, through scouring their social media history, she deemed to be disloyal to the president.
Those she attacks, therefore, risk moving into the firing line. However, some Republicans have spoken out against her and The Wall Street Journal recently reported that some administration officials are tiring of her, suggesting her influence is not unbridled.
What To Know
On September 29, Loomer wrote on X: “Tucker Qatarlson. I pity everyone who has fallen for his Islamic propaganda. It’s sickening. He is owned by Muslims.”
She also called him “a Qatari hero” and said: “I am not going to stand down,” in another post.
Meanwhile, Loomer also reposted a tweet from right-wing commentator Dinesh D’Souza which said Carlson was “bad for Trump and MAGA.”
Loomer has feuded with Carlson since he said he was against President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities in support of Israel in June. In August, she wrote on X that he was a “terrible person” and a “fraud.” She also alleged Carlson tried to suppress a damaging story about former President Joe Biden before the 2020 presidential election.
Her attacks ramped up when Carlson was accused of suggesting Israel might have been involved in the assassination of Charlie Kirk in September.
For his part, Carlson called the activist the “world’s creepiest human” on a podcast in June. In July, he told The New York Times that Loomer was “like a child wielding a loaded firearm called Twitter.”
Meanwhile, Carlson is not the only MAGA figure Loomer has taken umbrage with. She has also clashed with Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene.
“Many people need to wake up about her reporting,” Greene said of Loomer on X recently. “Researching facts and then spinning them into lies to serve her agenda doesn’t make her good or trustworthy. It makes her a liar and it makes her dangerous.”
In August, Loomer said she would file an ethics complaint against Greene while accusing the Georgia lawmaker of an abuse of power over a tweet questioning Loomer’s funding.
What People Are Saying
Mark Shanahan, who teaches American politics at the University of Surrey in the U.K. told Newsweek: “Since its emergence in the run-up to the 2016 election, the MAGA movement has never been fully united but has been a loose federation of competing needs coalesced around Donald Trump. Those deemed useful to him have had their period in the limelight but have waned when their utility has dwindled. Loomer comes from the battiest fringes of MAGA-world but whether for her looks, personality or supposed insight, has certainly caught Trump’s eye. Much of the rest of the White House Administration remains wary of her, and she has yet to land the White House press accreditation she craves. She is aggressively supportive of Benjamin Netanyahu and his actions in Gaza to the exclusion of any other cause. This has put clear water between her and more domestic/economic-focused wings of the movement. One must question her motivation at this time, especially as Trump is so keen to see an end to the Gaza war. The MAGA movement is bigger than her, and her moment in the sun may not be sustainable.”
What Happens Next
Carlson has not yet publicly responded to Loomer’s latest accusations.