Controversial MAGA firebrand whom Trump floated for WH press secretary before Karoline Leavitt revealed
WASHINGTON, DC: With her razor-sharp comebacks and no-hold-barred approach to communication, Karoline Leavitt has quickly emerged as a powerhouse in Donald Trump’s inner circle.
The 79-year-old president has also never failed to sing praises for his 27-year-old White House press secretary, applauding the splash she’s made at the White House podium since stepping into the role earlier this year.
However, now it has been revealed that Leavitt wasn't Trump’s first choice for the press secretary role. Rather, he floated another controversial MAGA firebrand, Laura Loomer.
Why Laura Loomer lost the press secretary role despite being Donald Trump’s first choice
When it came to choosing who would take charge of commanding the James S Brady briefing room, Donald Trump had Laura Loomer’s name on the top of his list, according to the forthcoming book '2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America', penned by the trio of journalists Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf.
However, not many of Trump’s advisers were in favour of handing the mic to the conservative influencer, who often sparked outrage with her controversial conspiracy theories.
"Many of Trump's advisers viewed Loomer as too-conspiracy-minded and pugilistic, but he liked her," the book said, adding that the commander-in-chief once even asked his advisers, "Is she too fringe to be press secretary?"
Trump's advisers clearly talked him out of the choice, as he declared Leavitt would take up the post after the election.
Laura Loomer’s outsized role in shaping Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign
Laura Loomer might not have landed the press secretary gig, but behind the scenes, she played an outsized role in shaping the tone of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
In their upcoming book, Dawsey, a reporter now with The Wall Street Journal, detailed how the MAGA star architected one of Trump’s most buzzworthy campaign moments, according to Daily Mail.
On September 10, the then-Republican presidential nominee invited Loomer aboard "Trump Force One," flying her out to Philadelphia for his only debate showdown against former vice president Kamala Harris, who had stepped in to replace Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee.
During the flight, Loomer, who had sparked outrage with discriminatory rhetoric against Harris, showed Trump “allegations circulating online about a community of thousands of Haitian immigrants resettled in the Ohio town of Springfield, accusing them of stealing geese and cats for food.”
"Loomer showed him a call to the county sheriff complaining of Haitians carrying geese away from a public park and a woman arrested for eating a cat. She showed him a video of her associate confronting Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown outside the Capitol," the authors wrote.
They further pointed out that JD Vance, who was newly announced to be Trump’s running mate, soon joined the force and promoted some of the allegations online “to the chagrin of some local Republicans.”
“On the plane to Philly, Trump responded by joining in the online frenzy,” they wrote, adding, “He posted several memes on Truth Social alluding to the mania: a computer- generated image of him on his plane surrounded by grateful-looking cats and ducks; and another of cats equipped with assault rifles and MAGA caps.”
However, the former vice president was already prepared to face the allegations during the presidential debate.
"When Harris aides saw Loomer get off Trump's plane in Philly, they called the vice president to brief her on the Springfield rumors so she would be prepared if Trump brought them up," the authors wrote.
Although Trump ultimately clinched victory in the general election, most political pundits view the debate as a clear win for Harris.
"Loomer had no regrets about the dogs-and-cats outburst. She thought it was a defining moment of the campaign, like when Trump told Clinton at the second debate in 2016, if he were in charge, 'You’d be in jail,'" the authors further added.
