Maggie Haberman Explains Why Trump Is Keeping Laura Loomer Close

Former president and current GOP nominee Donald Trump has been hanging out with far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer because of her unswerving devotion to the former president, Maggie Haberman suggested.

Trump faced backlash last week after Loomer joined him for 9/11 commemorations and was part of his entourage at the presidential debate. Trump defended her presence, noting she isn’t employed by his campaign but is a staunch supporter.

“That is the point, right?” Haberman told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, noting how Trump’s campaign last year rescinded a job offer to Loomer because of her past offensive comments.

“However, she’s around him not infrequently. He clearly likes her. He clearly wants to see what she will say,” Haberman continued. “Donald Trump, as some of the people have known him the longest, likes people who will do anything for him and that is something Laura Loomer will do.”

Loomer praises Trump, “and she sees herself as his biggest defender, and she will go after people who are critical of him on social media, and he likes all of that,” she added.

Collins suggested Trump’s halfhearted attempt to distance himself from the Loomer controversy — by claiming he didn’t know about the comments she’d made in the past — was part of a pattern and that he’s used the same tactic before while talking about the far-right Proud Boys or former KKK leader David Duke.

“This is a go-to move for almost anything that he wants to not claim ownership for,” said Haberman. Trump “is a man of few moves that he uses over and over again and the goal with all of these is to try to insulate himself and not be tied to it,” she added.

Watch the full interview here: