Tillis, Graham, Greene unite against Loomer’s comments
Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) have united in admonishing racist remarks made by far-right activist Laura Loomer, a supporter of former President Trump.
Loomer, a former congressional candidate with a history of anti-Muslim comments, shared a post online in which Vice President Harris was talking about her Indian heritage.
Loomer said if Harris wins the election, “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center and the American people will only be able to convey their feedback through a customer satisfaction survey at the end of the call that nobody will understand.”
Tillis, Graham and Greene released a joint statement Saturday in an attempt to separate Loomer from the Trump campaign.
“While the Republican Party represents a broad diversity of thought and opinions, it is critical that we do not allow the Democrats and mainstream media to have anyone’s comments—which are, at their core, bigoted and racist—speak on behalf of President Trump and other Republicans on the ballot,” the statement said. “We are glad to see President Trump make it clear that he disavows Laura Loomer’s offensive comments.”
Greene, who is also an ally of Trump’s, slammed Loomer’s comments on Thursday, calling her “appalling and extremely racist” for her post. Loomer defended it in an exchange with Greene on X, saying it was a “funny joke” because Harris uses her Indian mother’s heritage “as a way to dodge questions.”
Loomer’s visible presence alongside Trump in recent days has sparked questions about her influence over the campaign. On Tuesday, she flew on Trump’s plane to Philadelphia ahead of the presidential debate.
Multiple sources confirmed that Loomer does not have an official role with Trump’s campaign. On Friday, the former president said he doesn’t agree with the statements made by Loomer, though in the past he has invoked Harris’s race.
Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Saturday on FOX News Live that Loomer doesn’t work for the campaign.
“She’s simply a supporter of the president and he doesn’t agree with everything she said. He doesn’t agree with everything that all of his supporters said,” Leavitt said.
She noted that while Trump and others he is connected to don’t agree on everything, they “agree on the most important thing,” which is ensuring Harris loses the election.
The group of Republican lawmakers echoed the sentiment in their statement. They said Democrats ditched President Biden and have united behind “a radical leftist.”
“Republicans must rally together and be smart,” they said. “That includes eliminating all distractions and keeping the closing months of his campaign focused on the economy, immigration, and inflation. If we do, President Trump will win.”
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed..