Trump distances himself with Laura Loomerʼs racist 'curry' statement about Harris's Indian heritage

Former President Donald Trump has distanced himself from far-right activist and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer after her racist comment about Vice President Kamala Harris’s Indian heritage.

Loomer, who has been spotted alongside Trump during his 2024 campaign, sparked outrage when she remarked that if Harris, who is half Indian, wins the presidency in 2024, “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center.”

In response to growing backlash, Trump addressed the issue on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying, “Laura Loomer doesn’t work for the Campaign. She’s a private citizen and longtime supporter. I disagree with the statements she made." Trump has often projected himself as a pro-Indian, pro-Hindu candidate.

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Still, he could not help but defend long-time supporter Loomer. In his post on Truth Social, right after he said he disagreed with her statements, he added “…but like the many millions of people who support me, she is tired of watching the Radical Left Marxists and Fascists violently attack and smear me, even to the point of doing anything to stop their Political Opponent, ME!”

Loomer, who has made a career out of creating controversies, is known for her anti-Islamic remarks. She once described herself as a “proud Islamophobe” and tweeted that “someone needs to create a non Islamic form of Uber or Lyft because I never want to support another Islamic immigrant driver,” according to CNN.

Republicans have expressed concern over Loomer’s influence on Trump’s campaign, pointing to a botched debate performance where Trump repeated a false claim, initially promoted by Loomer, that Haitian immigrants were eating pet cats and dogs in Ohio.

“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump claimed during a debate segment on immigration.

Some Trump loyalists are frustrated by what they perceive as Loomer’s sway over the former president. In fact, when he proposed giving Loomer an official role on his campaign, the idea was resisted by staffers.