Conservative activist and commentator Laura Loomer has taken aim at Robert F. Kennedy Jr., triggering heated backlash from high-profile figures in the MAGA movement.
Loomer, known for her outspoken far-right views and fervent loyalty to former President Donald Trump, recently criticized RFK Jr. in a series of social media posts, questioning his authenticity and alleging lack of transparency relating to fundraising and donations.
The accusations by Loomer were in response to a video and post on RFK Jr.’s X, formerly Twitter, page urging voters to donate, along with a link to do so.
“With two days remaining until Election Day, it’s crunch time, people. Every dollar you contribute will continue building momentum to get President Trump back in the White House and me to D.C.” RFK Jr. said.
Laura Loomer is seen in Miami on June 13, 2023. Loomer has taken aim at Robert F. Kennedy Jr., triggering heated backlash from high-profile figures in the MAGA movement.
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
In response, Loomer sent several allegations RFK Jr.’s way, commenting beneath the post: “Hey Robert F. Kennedy Jr., if you’re an official Trump surrogate, why are you raising money on a separate platform that isn’t affiliated with Trump? And why are you lying and saying this money will benefit Trump when it clearly says it will be used to pay off your campaign debt from the Democrat primary in which you attacked Trump?
“This is called deceptive fundraising. You’re trying to exploit MAGA. This money doesn’t go to Trump. That’s not a Trump fundraising link. What’s going on here?”
Loomer tagged RFK Jr., Team Trump, the official X account for the Trump campaign, and Donald Trump in the post.
Loomer then posted a screenshot that she implied backed up her accusations, highlighting the part where RFK Jr. stated: “Contributions to Team Kennedy are not tax deductible. Federal law allows individuals to contribute up to $3,300 to the general election.
“Any amount over $3,300 to the general election will go to the primary election fund. Team Kennedy will continue to take contributions for the primary election until all net debt: outstanding for the primary election cycle are paid.”
Loomer replied: “None of this money that Robert Kennedy Jr. is raising is going toward Donald Trump’s campaign like RFK Jr has claimed below. The fine print on the donation landing page says the money raised will go toward paying off RFK JR’s campaign debts from the Democrat Primary…”
Newsweek contacted RFK Jr. and Loomer for comment via email outside of working hours on Monday.
The remarks have ignited strong responses from several MAGA-aligned figures, with political operative Roger Stone leading the charge. Stone, a longtime Trump ally and influential voice in the MAGA movement, responded on social media by slamming Loomer’s comments as “wrong” and warned that they risk undermining efforts to unite conservatives against President Joe Biden.
“You’re wrong. You have no fundamental understanding of the federal election law, which is why you lost two campaigns for Congress,” Stone posted, adding: “Perhaps you should spend your time not attacking people who are on the same side as you are 2 days b4 the election #[amateur].”
In response to Stone, Loomer doubled down on her accusation replying: “The fine print clearly says the money is going to pay off his Democrat Party debt. It’s not going into Trump’s campaign account. My post is accurate. This isn’t personal. This is showing people where their money is going so they know what they are donating to. It’s the ethical thing to do.”
Newsweek reached out to Stone for comment via social media outside of working hours on Monday.
Dr. Christopher Phelps of the Department of American and Canadian Studies at Nottingham University in the U.K., spoke to Newsweek about the online spat between Loomer and Stone saying: “The only value this controversy has is as humor. On the one hand we have Kennedy, who says doctors found a dead worm in his brain and has admitted to leaving a bear carcass in Central Park. On the other hand, Loomer, a 9-11 denier and Islamophobe. Both are in Trump’s camp, but apparently all is not a lovefest on the MAGA bus.
“If I had to choose between these baleful options, I would give the nod to Kennedy, because he is just following federal law. He states that the first $3,300 will go to the general election, then states anything above that will be reallocated to pay off primary debts. He’s not fooling anyone. He’s stating it openly.
“Who knows what Loomer’s ulterior motive is—maybe she’s bitter that she’s not allowed on Trump’s plane any longer, while Kennedy gets to campaign with him? Anyway, we have here the conspiracists finding conspiracy in other conspiracists. The reality-based community need not pay it much attention.”
Other conservative influencers have echoed Stone’s sentiments on X.
Bryce Lipscomb, who has 54,000 followers, said: “I get where you’re coming from with some of the posts you’ve recently made against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. If I may though, I would like to defend RFK Jr on just 2 things please. 1. In all his videos he has asked donors to donate to him to help him get to DC. He hasn’t directly said that money is designated to Trump directly, that would break FEC laws. 2. He is producing ads in a similar way Nicole Shanahan [RFK Jr.’s running mate in his 2024 independent presidential campaign] has been doing for Trump.”
Referring to RFK Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ (MAHA) initiative, Lipscomb said: “I’m not mad at you for asking questions, but with 3 days left in this election are you sure you want to p*** off MAHA? Some are looking for a reason NOT to vote for Trump. Let’s not give it to them. Please let’s stay unified! We need this unity, we need this movement, we need Trump to get elected. Let’s stay the course.”
Dozens of other accounts with 10,000 plus followers have also responded to Loomer’s post, with several Pro-Trump accounts tweeting that her critique could further fragment conservative support at a time when many see RFK Jr. as a potential ally in the fight against Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and the Biden-Harris administration.
“Florida Mike-Trump 2024” who has 32,000 followers posted: “Loomer is still bitter about being shut out of the upcoming Trump administration, so she chooses to attack our ally RFK Jr. and the MAHA movement two days before the election. SMH. This attention-needy grifter has no loyalty to President Trump and is a liability to MAGA!”
It is not the first time Loomer has publicly criticized RFK Jr. and alluded to a lack of transparency from the former Democrat. Loomer has cast doubt on his ability to appeal to true conservatives, referring to his policy positions as inconsistent with the MAGA agenda and his historical ties to the Democratic Party.
In a previous post on X, she said: “So why is RFK saying on his Instagram he’s now in charge of hiring 4,000 people for the Trump transition? The link appears to be a data collection and doesn’t even direct to an official Trump page…Is his just harvesting Data? Did he run this by the campaign?”
Political analysts say that RFK Jr.’s independent candidacy has created a complicated dynamic for conservative voters. His stances on issues like vaccine skepticism resonate with some in the MAGA base, yet his legacy as a Kennedy and more moderate views on other policies have left some Trump supporters wary.
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