Trump's embrace of far-right activist Laura Loomer worries his allies

When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis entered a hotel in Iowa on Friday, he was immediately ambushed by a woman who peppered him with questions about when he would “drop out” of the race and whether he’s “already wasted enough of people’s money” as she followed him with a camera.

Afterward, the encounter found its way to social media. The woman — far-right social media influencer Laura Loomer — cut a scene in which she said DeSantis “looked petrified,” adding she believed “his soul left his body when he saw me.”

“He’s going to lose,” Loomer, a twice-failed congressional candidate and self-described “proud Islamophobe” said in a clip filmed outside the hotel. “President Trump is going to kick his a-- on Monday, Jan. 15. And that’s it for Ron. You killed your political career and I hope you’re happy. You just got Loomered, b----.”

Perhaps more notable than the encounter, though, was which of Loomer’s biggest fans quickly promoted it on social media; former President Donald Trump plugged the video on his Truth Social account on Saturday.

It was just the latest in a series of promotions and praise Trump has offered Loomer during the campaign, and it has some allies and advisers worried that he’s giving a figure they see as a fringe, far-right activist too close of an embrace — one that could come back to bite him during a general election campaign.

“Everyone who works for him thinks she’s a liability,” one Trump ally said.

Earlier this month, Loomer, who has promoted conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and several mass shootings, rode with Trump aboard his plane on a trip to Iowa, and she has suggested she would like to serve as Trump’s press secretary during a second term.

Onstage at his pre-caucus event on