Trump downplays the role of far-right activist in firings of NSC staff

President Trump is downplaying reports that far-right activist Laura Loomer influenced National Security Council firings on Thursday.

Trump confirmed that some number of people were fired but would not specify how many or why. “Always we’ll let go (of) people — people that we don’t like or people that we don’t think can do the job or people that may have loyalties to somebody else,” he told reporters on Air Force One Thursday night.

Loomer addressed her role in the firings in a post on X Thursday night.

“You know how you know the NSC officials I reported to President Trump are disloyal people who have played a role in sabotaging Donald Trump?” adding that the fired officials were “being defended by” commentators on CNN and MSNBC.

National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said the NSC would not comment on personnel matters.

Trump said he had spoken with Loomer on Wednesday and said she made some hiring recommendations, but denied she had anything to do with the NSC firings. Trump said he listened to her recommendations, “like I do with everybody. I listen to everybody and then I make a decision.”

Loomer, who has had two failed Republican bids for Congress, is known for promoting conspiracy theories as well as anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim views. She shared a video on X that claimed 9/11 was an “inside job” and mocked former Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ Indian heritage.

She has been banned by multiple social media platforms. She was reinstated on X, once it came under Elon Musk’s ownership. She has more than 1.5 million followers on the platform now.

Trump called Loomer a “patriot” and a “good person.”

The firings also follow scrutiny of the security practices of the administration. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz or a staffer inadvertently added Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a chat on the messaging app Signal. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared information relating to airstrikes in Yemen in that chat.

The Pentagon acting inspector general is now investigating, at the direction of members of Congress.

President Trump has resisted calls to fire Waltz and Hegseth, and the White House says no classified information was shared.