Laura Loomer, a right-wing political influencer known for her Islamophobic positions and fierce online attacks on figures seen as insufficiently loyal to President Donald Trump, has reportedly been credentialed to cover the Pentagon.
Loomer’s alleged access to the Defense Department, first reported by The Washington Post, comes as virtually all mainstream news organizations in the Pentagon press corps turned in their badges last month rather than agree to a restrictive new Trump administration policy for covering the military.
The Independent has contacted the Pentagon and Loomer for comment.
The new media policy bans reporters from soliciting any information from military officials without prior authorization from the Pentagon, and nearly every American news organization – including Trump-friendly networks such as Fox News and Newsmax — has rejected it.
The Pentagon Press Association has called the policy an “unprecedented message of intimidation” that suggests it is “criminal to speak without express permission.”
Loomer, a podcast host and political consultant, has become a prominent figure on the right through a combination of viral stunts, Islamophobic comments, and online “vetting” campaigns against proposed and current officials for the Trump administration.
The Florida-based commentator, who has met with the president multiple times since he took office, claims her advocacy helped lead to multiple dismissals of top officials including the removals of National Security Agency chief Gen. Timothy Haugh and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
Loomer also took credit in August for influencing a U.S. decision to pause humanitarian visas for Palestinians seeking emergency humanitarian permissions to get medical care in the U.S.
Her attacks have included scathing takedowns of the Defense Department she is now reportedly tasked with covering.
Last month, Loomer claimed she will not vote in 2026 in protest of a partnership between the U.S. and Qatari militaries on an Idaho air base.
“I didn’t vote for the Islamification of my country. If the GOP is going to allow Muslims to have military bases on U.S. soil when they know these Qataris are funding HAMAS and the Muslim Brotherhood, then voting in 2026 is a waste of time,” Loomer wrote online.
Loomer’s vocal criticisms online and advocacy inside the White House have reportedly angered some inside the Trump camp.
“Trump likes Laura, and she obviously has some influence, but she runs the risk of overestimating her influence and blowing herself up if she's not more careful,” an unnamed source close to the White House told WIRED.
A Pentagon press badge would be a coup for Loomer, who was previously better-known for the media platforms she’s been kicked off, for conduct including hateful comments.
She was removed from Twitter in 2018 and Facebook in 2019, and last month the U.S. Supreme Court refused to take up her legal effort to sue social media platforms.
Outside of her media work Loomer has unsuccessfully ran for Congress twice.
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