'Nuclear bomb': Trump's close ally hit with major pay-for-play scandal

Laura Loomer, one of President Donald Trump’s most influential online allies, has been paid by private clients to post political messages on X without disclosing it, according to an explosive new Washington Post report.

The allegations come from Alex Bruesewitz, an adviser to Trump’s 2024 campaign, and three other people who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity. Two of the three said they had paid Loomer directly to post political messages to her 1.9 million followers. The third said they had overseen clients who paid her.

Two of the sources said Loomer charges $3,000 to $5,000 per tweet, “and sometimes more.”

The Post reviewed bank transaction emails and a wire transfer statement that appear to show four payments totaling more than $60,000 sent to Loomer and a Florida company registered in her name, King Breaker Media, since May 2025. The documents don’t specify what the payments were for, but two people familiar with the arrangements said they were for political posts.

Loomer denied being paid to tweet.

“I certainly don’t charge $5,000 for a tweet,” she told the Post. “I’m not some influencer that makes money from tweeting. My business is public affairs and opposition research. I also have a media company. It’s not illegal to make a living in America.”

Bruesewitz told the Post he paid Loomer for tweets last year through his political consulting firm, X Strategies, for posts related to policy issues. He declined to name the clients. He said that despite brokering the deals himself, he believes such arrangements have “gotten out of hand” and should require clearer disclosure.

Loomer said Bruesewitz’s firm paid her for research, not tweets.

“He paid me to make a one-page research document for him, and then he wanted me to distribute the information. And that’s what I did,” she said. When asked where she was expected to distribute it, she answered: “Either X or maybe an article.”

She accused Bruesewitz of “lashing out” at her over her political beliefs.

The sources said clients hired Loomer partly because of her access to the president. Trump has traveled with her and met with her privately in the Oval Office. After the White House fired National Security Council aides last year whom Loomer had accused of disloyalty, Trump acknowledged she had made firing recommendations and said, “Sometimes I listen to those recommendations.”

“This is somebody that has a tremendous amount of influence and access to the president’s ear,” said Jared Holt, a senior researcher at Open Measures.

One person who said they had paid Loomer on behalf of clients described her as a “nuclear bomb.”

“You have to be careful how to use that,” the person said. “It’s effective but also turns a lot of things to s--- if you’re not careful.”

Loomer took it as a compliment.

“I’m glad people find me to be effective and think I have a good reach,” she said. “I’m not going to apologize for monetizing the fact that people fear me.”

About an hour after the Post contacted her about the claims, Loomer announced she was taking a hiatus from her online show, “Loomer Unleashed,” to pursue a “healthy work life balance” and prepare for her upcoming wedding. She said the announcement had been scheduled in advance.

The report lands the same day Loomer was driving one of the biggest stories in MAGA world: her claim, citing a White House official, that Trump was “blindsided” and “quite angry” over Vice President JD Vance’s post-election statement on the Iran war.

In a 2025 interview with The Bulwark, Loomer said she was “not paid for [her] posts.”

Author Gerald Posner said the report shows why people are losing trust in X influencers.

“If you’re paid to post a political take, you have an obligation to say so up front,” Posner wrote on X. “If you want to be a paid advertiser, disclose it. People who still want to follow can decide for themselves. Otherwise, stop pretending it’s independent journalism or grassroots activism. It isn’t.”

The Federal Trade Commission requires influencers to disclose paid product endorsements, but it doesn’t have jurisdiction over political ads. The White House declined to comment to the Post, according to the report.