 "Laura Loomer arrives ahead of former US President Donald Trump's debate with Democratic presidential nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, September 10, 2024. File Image/Reuters")
Laura Loomer, far-right activist and loyal supporter of US President-elect Donald Trump, faced major backlash after she targeted Indian immigrants amid debate over the H-1B visa policies in the United States. Loomer, who is a loyal MAGA supporter described migrants from the South Asian subcontinent as “third-world invaders from India.”
The remarks by the far-right political activist were perceived as racially insensitive. Loomer also drew backlash from fellow Trump supporters like biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who went on to call him a “troll”. The remarks from Loomer came days after internet entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan was recently appointed as senior policy adviser for Artificial Intelligence at the White House.
What Loomer said
It is pertinent to note that the H-1B visa is one of the most important competitive categories in the US immigration system and often attracts numerous applicants. Major tech giants like Google, Amazon and Tesla are some of the top recipients of employees with H-1B visas. In 2024, more than 85,000 H-1B visas were approved, after 400,000 applications, Newsweek reported.
Loomer expressed concern over the recent appointment of Krishnan and voiced her disapproval over the matter. The MAGA supporter sparked criticism after she called Krishnan’s appointment “deeply disturbing”. Her derogatory remarks met with sharp rebuttals from prominent figures. Entrepreneur David Sacks clarified that Krishnan advocates for removing country caps on green cards, not eliminating caps entirely.
Elon Musk also supported this position Sacks’s assertion and replied: Make sense". In her provocative remarks Loomer said: “Our country was built by white Europeans, actually. Not third-world invaders from India.” “It’s not racist against Indians to want the original MAGA policies I voted for. I voted for a reduction in H-1B visas. Not an extension,” she added.
In the past, Loomer described herself as a “proud Islamophobe” and previously received backlash and condemnation from fellow Republicans, including Vice President-elect JD Vance and GOP Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe backlash that followed
Loomer’s remarks were called out by other Trump supporters. While reacting to the ongoing debate, Ramaswamy elucidated why cultural differences make Asians more efficient. “The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over “native” Americans isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation). A key part of it comes down to the C-word: culture. Tough questions demand tough answers & if we’re really serious about fixing the problem, we have to confront the TRUTH,” Ramaswamy wrote on X.
“Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer). That doesn’t start in college, it starts YOUNG,” she added. A separate debate between Loomer and Musk ensued over the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In another post, Loomer questioned whether DOGE is established to “cut spending or redirect it toward the pet projects of tech billionaires.”
Musk responded to the post saying: “Loomer is trolling for attention. Ignore.” Loomer hit back, insisting that “telling the truth isn’t trolling”. “You bought your way into MAGA 5 minutes ago after Trump almost had his head blown off in Butler. Remember when you voted for Biden and propped up @GovRonDeSantis and you said Trump was too old?” she added.