Tired

Loomer has emerged as one of the most important voices in Trump’s ear, meeting him at his Mar-a-Lago club and speaking to him on the phone with some degree of frequency, after years spent on the fringes of the far-right conspiracy internet. Loomer rose to prominence by openly embracing anti-Muslim rhetoric and other extreme positions, like sharing a video on X about how 9/11 was “an inside job,” leading even the likes of GOP congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia to urge Trump in mid-2023 not to hire her. Her influence has only grown since.

“Hold on, one sec. My phone is blowing up,” Loomer told WIRED minutes after the news about Waltz broke on May 1. The pings eventually subsided, and she cut to the chase about why claiming the firings as a “SCALP,” in her words, was so important. “It’s not about who your friends are, whether something is morally right or morally wrong,” she said. “It has to be done. Hopefully the administration is serious about administering loyalty tests.” She’s obsessed with these so-called loyalty checks: “They’re not doing loyalty checks,” she tells WIRED. “You need to have loyalty to the commander in chief … You need to be loyal to President Trump.”

A Harping Hand

With an almost dystopian fervor for Trump loyalty as her guide, no target has been too small for the Trumpworld Terminator. She’s gone after big fish like Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, but also takes broadsides at the spouses of lower-level nominees. In a May 4 post on her “Loomered” website titled “EXCLUSIVE: BLM-Linked Wife of Trump DOJ Nominee Raises Vetting Concerns,” Loomer attacked pro bono attorney Kristin McGough over alleged “progressive signaling, including listing her pronouns in her official legal biography.” (McGough declined to comment.)

Her Loomerisms continue to physically make it into Trump’s hands, as well. Natalie Harp, often referred to within Trumpworld as “the human printer” (derogatory), is one of Loomer’s portals into Trump’s decisionmaking. Harp, another of Trump’s favorite young women in his inner circle, sits directly outside the door to the Oval Office. She earned her nickname during the 2024 campaign by delivering Trump a steady stream of printed articles, social media posts, and other digital-turned-paper materials praising him. Harp continues to do so in her role at the White House as an executive assistant to the president.

And Loomer’s attacks on administration officials deemed insufficiently loyal continue to make their way into the stacks.

“Natalie is going to ship everything that’s sent to her to the president, if she thinks it warrants his attention,” the administration source tells WIRED. “Which is most times.”

Trump’s other staffers, sources tell WIRED, haven’t figured out a way to stem the flow of dubious information from Harp to the president, or from Loomer to Harp.

“Natalie Harp is a trusted and valued member of President Trump’s team,” Stephen Cheung, the White House communications director, tells WIRED. “And she is certainly a big reason why his operation has been as successful as it has ever been. Her work ethic and dedication to helping President Trump achieve his historic victory is second to none.” (Harp did not respond to a request for comment WIRED put to the White House.)

Cut and Dry

Still, despite Loomer’s claims that she was almost hired by Trump on four separate occasions, an administration role remains elusive for her. Trumpworld sources are more skeptical than ever about Loomer making it onto the payroll. “You have to ask yourself: If Trump wanted her in, do you think his staff had some ability to prevent that, apparently?” says the administration source. “Like, what?”

“One of Laura’s challenges and the reason she really can’t have an administration job is she thinks everything is cut-and-dry,” they continued, “and that’s just not how running the country works. If only it were all cut-and-dry.”

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