Right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer exerts a powerful influence over President Donald Trump, but a Democratic strategist warned that the MAGA enemies she has cultivated should signal just how extreme and dangerous she is to democracy.
The social media influencer has gotten the president to fire multiple federal employees for supposed disloyalty and readily agreed to comparisons of herself to disgraced senator Joseph McCarthy, who conducted the "Red Scare" purges of alleged communists in the 1950s, and Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright told "CNN This Morning" that her associations were alarming.
"Well, I think it's scary because of the type of behavior and the people she cuddles and play footsie with politically, most of them are extremists," Seawright said. "She gets deep down into some of the dark, dangerous places and people – white supremacy, white nationalism, we've seen her flirt with those things. I think we have to separate, like trying to be an influence and influencing policy, influencing politics versus just doing what's bad and not long-term good."
"Attention is the most powerful drug in Washington, and I think she is overdosing on it right now," he added. "The question is, what happens when life after Trump kicks in? Because she's attached her brand to Trumpism and the extreme wing of the Republican Party, and I'm not sure how that survives."
Loomer's social media posts can direct waves of harassment at her targets or get them fired from their jobs, but the strategist took note that MAGA firebrands Tucker Carlson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) had spoken out against her influence on the administration – and she has responded with accusations, threats and vulgar insults.
"When they think it's scary," Seawright said, "we all should be scared as hell."