Former Donald Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said Thursday she would not have allowed far-right influencer Laura Loomer near the 45th president after she was part of Trump’s entourage at two high-profile events last week.
Loomer, 31, traveled with Trump’s team to Philadelphia ahead of his Sept. 10 debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, raising eyebrows.
“I don’t know, and I’m not here to criticize her campaign team,” Conway told journalist Tim Alberta on The Atlantic Festival’s “Ideas Stage” when asked why she thought Loomer was allowed to be in the former president’s orbit.
After answering “no” to a question about whether Loomer would have been able to get on the plane if she were still in charge, Conway joked: “I prefer (the first lady’s former daughter-in-law) Lara Trump — that would be my favorite ‘Laura’ to be around him. She’s doing a great job at the RNC (Republican National Committee).”
Loomer sparked further controversy after she was seen joining Trump, 78, and his running mate JD Vance, 40, at a Manhattan firehouse to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Loomer had previously suggested the al-Qaeda atrocity was an “inside job” and posted more conspiracy material days after the event.
“The 9/11 documents remain secret to this day. The American people deserve to know the whole truth,” he wrote in X on September 13.
“There are so many unanswered questions… Why?”
Conway, 57, said Thursday that he did not recall ever being in the same room as Loomer, who also attacked Conway’s daughter, Claudia, in social media as recently as last month.
“When I learned more about her and what she was saying, even to my 19-year-old daughter, I realized it was unacceptable. And I stood up against it,” Conway told Alberta.
“And I’ve had one or two conversations with the president since then, which I won’t reveal, and I like what I heard,” he added, without giving further details.
Loomer sparked outrage on Sept. 8 when she attacked Harris for her Indian heritage, writing that if the vice president defeated Trump, “the White House will smell like curry and White House speeches will be facilitated through a call center.”
That post prompted a fierce rebuke from many Republicans and Trump allies, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who has a history of feuding with Loomer.
“This is atrocious and extremely racist. It does not represent who we are as Republicans or who we are as MAGAs. This does not represent President Trump. This type of behavior should never be tolerated,” Greene wrote, sparking an ugly exchange between the two.
Vance also distanced himself from Loomer’s comments over the weekend.
“What Laura said about Kamala Harris is not what we should be focusing on. We should be focusing on the policy and the issues,” Vance, whose wife Usha is Indian-American, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday before adding that “I make a really good chicken curry.”
Trump has also denied that Loomer has a major role in the campaign, calling her a “supporter” and a “strong person” during a news conference in Southern California last week.
“I don’t control Laura,” the 45th president added on September 13. “I can’t tell Laura what to do.”
Conway also said Thursday that she would advise Trump to agree to another debate with Harris, despite his having ruled out the possibility last week.
“I personally think we need another debate,” she said. “I’m a big supporter of democracy and I love the fact that people have the opportunity to see the candidates standing shoulder to shoulder, responding to each other.”
Trump told The Post on Sept. 12 that “we just don’t think there’s a need” for a second showdown with Harris.
“We’ve done two. You know, one against Biden (on June 27), one against Comrade Kamala,” he said. “I did well. I did really well.”
