Right-wing influencer Laura Loomer wants to Make America McCarthyist Again.
The 32-year-old MAGA influencer, who seemingly has President Donald Trump’s ear, reportedly “loved” being compared to the late GOP Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who launched a decade-long crusade to dispel the government of anyone who was, by his estimation, sympathetic to communism.
That nationwide hysteria after World War II has been appropriately named the “Red Scare.” Loomer is embracing the parallels between the MAGA “scalps” she is collecting and McCarthy’s dedication to ridding the government of any communist sentiment.
Except Loomer is not going after perceived communists—though her politics suggest she would, should any sneak into the Trump administration. Instead, she is targeting those federal officials she deems to be disloyal to Trump.
“Joseph McCarthy was right,” Loomer told The Atlantic. “We need to make McCarthy great again.”
The White House has attempted to play down Loomer’s influence with the president, as the Financial Times reported this week. But her significant impact on MAGA 2.0 is unquestioned.
Loomer, after posting “receipts” of anti-Trump sentiment to her 1.7 million followers on X, has seemingly directly led to the firings of more than a dozen Trump administration officials—a practice she has dubbed “Loomering.”
Among her alleged victims: Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Schleifer and Maurene Comey, six aides on Trump’s National Security Council, NSA Director Timothy Haugh, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and his deputy, Alex Wong.
Loomer has twice traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with Trump administration officials in MAGA 2.0. During her first visit, in April, she met with the president in the Oval Office. Shortly after their meeting, Trump fired the NSC targets presented to him by Loomer. On her next trip, in June, she met with Vice President JD Vance.
The far-right firebrand has raged that the Trump administration has failed to vet its officials to a level of her liking. She particularly takes exception to those who turned their back on Trump in the wake of the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, instead of sticking by his side like she did.
Trump has rewarded Loomer’s loyalty by occasionally offering her a seat at the table—whether that be in the Oval Office or on “Trump Force One,” the president’s private plane he flew around the country during his 2024 presidential campaign. She flew with Trump to his presidential debate against former Vice President Kamala Harris in September.
Loomer says Trump has personally expressed his pleasure with her findings.
“Every time I have these briefings, [Trump] looks at his staff and says, ‘How come you didn’t tell me this?’” she told The Atlantic.
Trump’s staff is not always so pleased with her antics.
A source told the Financial Times this week that those in the White House view Loomer as a “fly that keeps getting in your face and keeps coming back, no matter how much you swat it away.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
The post Laura Loomer Wants to Bring Back the Red Scare appeared first on The Daily Beast.
