Debate week revealed a key difference between Democrats and Republicans

In 2022, after Donald Trump dined with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and antisemitic rapper Kanye West, Senator Thom Tillis condemned the sitdown — but didn’t denounce the former president.

“First, I honestly didn’t know who he was,” the North Carolina Republican told The Independent at the time. “If the reports are true and the president didn’t know who he was, whoever allowed them in the room should have been fired.”

Tillis, who has always had a tenuous relationship with Trump, deployed the same strategy after far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer appeared in the Republican nominee’s entourage this week.

“Laura Loomer is a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans,” he said on X/Twitter. “A DNC plant couldn't do a better job than she is doing to hurt President Trump's chances of winning re-election. Enough.”

Tillis’s words come after Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump critic-turned-surrogate, and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has spread antisemitic conspiracy theories about Jewish people running space lasers, both criticized Loomer for her “racist” remarks about Vice President Kamala Harris.

All three Republicans couched their criticism of Loomer in terms of wanting to help Trump and were quick to say she was doing a disservice to him.

Of course, as soon as Trump took to the microphone at his press conference at his golf club in the Los Angeles area, he refused to distance himself from her.

“Well I don’t know what they would say,” he said. “Laura’s been a supporter. Just like a lot of people are supporters. She speaks very positively of the campaign.”

Republicans know that Trump turned in a poor performace at the debate. While the election is