'This country is doomed': Trump meeting with conspiracy theorist sparks shock and horror

On Wednesday afternoon, April 2, President Donald Trump had a visitor in the White House Oval Office: far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, a self-described "proud Islamophobe" who is controversial even among fellow Trump supporters.

During the meeting, according to reporters Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan and Ken Bensinger, Loomer "pressed for him to fire National Security Council staff members whom she deemed disloyal to him."

The Times interviewed seven different sources with knowledge of the meeting. And according to Times reporters Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan and Ken Bensinger, Trump "may act on some of Ms. Loomer's recommendations."

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The Times journalists, in an article published the day after the meeting, reported, "Ms. Loomer's rhetoric and actions have been so extreme that she has alienated others even on the far right. She has shared a conspiracy theory on social media calling the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks an 'inside job.' During the 2024 campaign, Ms. Loomer said that 'the White House will smell like curry' if Kamala Harris were elected — a jab at her Indian heritage…. But on Wednesday afternoon, she sat with the president in the Oval Office, plying him with claims about staff members whom she insisted he should dismiss."

Trump's meeting with Loomer is receiving plenty of reactions on X, formerly Twitter.

Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan, on April 3, tweeted, "The National Security Adviser had to go to the Oval Office to defend his own staff from being fired by the president, because a woman who said 9/11 was an inside job was in the Oval personally briefing the president. Trump's America, folks. Insane."

CNN's Jake Tapper posted, "As she meets with President Trump and advises firings in the National Security Council, a brief reminder of who Laura Loomer is, in her own words." And Tapper's "reminder" included Loomer's 9/11 conspiracy theories and racist comments attacking former Vice President Harris.

HuffPost's Yashar Ali highlighted the Times' reporting: "Loomer walked into the White House with a sheaf of papers, which amounted to a mass of opposition research attacking the characters and loyalty of numerous NSC officials. She proceeded to excoriate them in front of their boss, the national security adviser Michael Waltz, who was also in the meeting."

Progressive activist Laura Ironside tweeted, "Laura Loomer is now responsible for our national security staffing. If that doesn't signal that this country is doomed, I don't know what does."

X user Bernard Silverman humorously referenced director Stanley Kubnick's 1980 horror film "The Shining," posting, "Laura Loomer has converted her face to Jack Nicholson's in 'The Shining' 'Heeeeeeere's Johnny!'"

Journalist Aaron Rupar lamented, "Trump is now making personnel decisions based on recommendations from Laura Loomer."

The conservative group Republicans Against Trump wrote, "Axios is now reporting that several members of Trump’s National Security Council have been fired following Laura Loomer’s visit. This. Is. Not. Normal."

Richard Hanania of the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology (CSPI) commented, "Imagine you have a National Security Council job and the president brings in Laura Loomer to accuse you of being a traitor."

MeidasTouch tweeted, "More chaos out of the White House: 3 National Security Council staffers, including Brian Walsh, Thomas Boodry, and David Feith, were fired Wednesday, CNN is now reporting. The firings come after Trump's recent Oval Office meeting with Laura Loomer, who pushed for NSC shakeups. This comes after multiple scandals surrounding Trump's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and his mishandling of sensitive information via the use of platforms like Signal and Gmail."

Media Matters Matt Gertz posted, "There are many crazy things about this but one is that on the day Trump was finalizing tariffs that are causing a global economic meltdown... he found time to meet with Laura Loomer in the Oval Office.