Laura Loomer Faces Awkward Confrontation Over Deleted Tweets in New Delhi
Right-wing conspiracy theorist and Donald Trump adviser Laura Loomer experienced a deeply uncomfortable moment during her trip to New Delhi when a journalist confronted her with archived copies of her deleted anti-Indian social media posts. The incident occurred at the prestigious India Today Conclave on Saturday, where Loomer had traveled as part of her political activities.
Journalist Presents Archived Evidence
Indian journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, representing India Today, presented a comprehensive collection of tweets that Loomer had posted disparaging India and its people. Although Loomer had deleted these posts before her visit to India, digital archivists had preserved them, allowing Sardesai to present them directly to Loomer during the conference session.
Loomer attempted to deflect the criticism by reading a message she claimed was from President Donald Trump, stating "I love India. I love Modi and I love the Indian people." However, this did little to address the specific allegations being raised about her own documented statements.
Controversial Statements on Islam and India
The confrontation intensified when Sardesai pressed Loomer on her history of controversial statements about Islam. Approximately 15 percent of India's population—roughly 205 million people—identify as Muslim, making this a particularly sensitive topic in the Indian context.
Loomer doubled down on her previous positions, stating unequivocally that she believes "Islam is a cancer on the world" and that she does not "believe that Islamophobia is real." She went further, asserting that "it should be illegal in the United States for Muslims to hold office."
When specifically confronted about her past disparaging remarks about India, Loomer offered a partial retreat, saying "I shouldn't have said some of the things that I said ... and I apologize if my remarks offended people." However, she maintained her criticism of the H-1B visa program, which many Indian nationals use to enter the United States, claiming her views were intended to protect American interests.
Specific Racist Comments Revealed
Sardesai read directly from Loomer's 2024 tweets, including one where she claimed the White House would "smell like curry" if then-Vice President Kamala Harris became president. Another post stated that the U.S. was built by "white Europeans, not third-world invaders from India."
The journalist accused Loomer of being "brazenly racist and Islamophobic" and told her that her comments represented "anti-Indianism, worse still Islamophobia, and even worse racism," which he said had "no place in today's world."
Loomer defended her position on Islamophobia, claiming the faith "explicitly calls for the killing of non-Muslims" and insisting that "everybody who is not a Muslim should really honestly be fearful of this ideology." Regarding her comments about Harris, she offered a surprising reinterpretation, claiming they were actually "pro-Indian" because they criticized Harris for allegedly downplaying her Indian heritage during the election campaign.
Continued Controversy After the Event
Following the conference, Loomer showed no signs of moderating her positions. On Saturday afternoon, she shared a video allegedly showing Muslims in India surrounding a Sikh restaurant and demanding they sell halal food. In her accompanying post, she wrote: "Islam has no place in the West. Are you ok with this @sardesairajdeep? Should Muslims be allowed to terrorize Sikhs who refuse to sell halal food? Are you going to call the Sikhs Islamophobic and racist too?"
Loomer represents one of many MAGA-aligned figures who have intensified their attacks on Islam recently. This rhetorical escalation appears to coincide with Trump's military actions in Iran. Shortly after U.S. and Israeli strikes began against Iran, a series of violent attacks occurred in Texas, Virginia, and Michigan that the FBI is investigating as potentially motivated by the conflict.
The incident in New Delhi occurred against a backdrop of similar controversies involving other Trump allies. Earlier in the week, Senator Tommy Tuberville faced accusations of Islamophobia after sharing an image of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani breaking his Ramadan fast alongside an image of the 9/11 attacks with the caption "the enemy is inside the gates."
The Independent has reached out to Laura Loomer for additional comment on the New Delhi confrontation and her continued controversial statements about India and Islam.
