Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist known for headline-grabbing stunts after getting kicked off social media platforms, won a Florida GOP primary on Tuesday — and then was quickly congratulated by her district’s most famous official resident.
President Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago estate is in Loomer’s district, retweeted at least four posts about her win and tweeted himself, ‘‘Great going Laura. You have a great chance against a Pelosi puppet!’’
Trump’s public support for a candidate who once called herself a #ProudIslamophobe, has called Muslims ‘‘savages,’’ and contributed to conspiracy site Infowars drew quick backlash from some critics.
‘‘Trump supporting anti-Muslim bigot and fringe extremist Laura Loomer. Congrats, Republicans. This is what you’ve become,’’ tweeted Wajahat Ali, a New York Times opinion contributor.
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As The Washington Post’s Rachael Bade and Isaac Stanley-Becker reported, the GOP is struggling to navigate Trump’s embrace of fringe candidates who have made statements denigrating Americans’ religions and ethnicities. Last week, the president backed Marjorie Taylor Green, a Georgia GOP candidate who backs the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Among the tweets Trump shared on Tuesday night was a post from Greene with a photo of her and Loomer and a demand that Twitter reinstate Loomer’s account.
Washington Post