Prominent MAGA influencer Laura Loomer announced this week that she is "starting to realize" many people in her political orbit are "ignorant," marking a dramatic shift in her posture toward both the Republican establishment and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Loomer, who has served as a key online surrogate for President Donald Trump throughout his second term, disclosed on Wednesday that her views on elements of the MAGA movement no longer align with reality.

"I'm starting to realize many things, and one of those things is I really don't actually like a lot of the people I have met in the GOP over the last 12 years," Loomer posted on Wednesday. "Some of these people are so ignorant to me. They mock me for saying there's Russian propaganda on social media and some of them even accuse me of being an Israeli spy for calling out right wing Jew hatred. Some of these people are literally ret—. Some are just paid off. Either way, I don't like what I'm seeing."

The post follows what Loomer described as a complete reversal of her position on the war between Russia and Ukraine. She had previously promoted the narrative that Russia was purging Ukraine of neo-Nazis — a claim widely circulated throughout the MAGA movement that, according to political commentators, has factored into the Trump administration's reluctant posture toward Ukraine and relative preference for Russia. Moscow has repeatedly used "denazification" rhetoric to justify its invasion, while Ukraine and its Western backers have rejected that framing and documented Russian attacks on civilian areas and alleged war crimes.

"I've realized, I was wrong," Loomer posted on Monday. "I was living in a media echo chamber and I was propagandized by Russian media on social media to believe those things. So I came to Ukraine to see the country for myself. I am going to try to find evidence for the propaganda I've been fed, and if I don't find it, I will let everyone know so they too can come to see the light."

She went on to describe Russian atrocities, including massacres and what she said were "Ukrainian POWs who had swastikas engraved into their forehead."

The statements triggered widespread reactions across the political spectrum, underscoring how sharply Ukraine policy and pro-Russia messaging have divided parts of the American right since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. One popular MAGA-oriented account captured the response from the far-right, asking, "Laura have you lost your mind?" (X post)

Not all reactions from the right were negative. Conservative commentator Marc Thiessen — typically a supporter of Trump's foreign policy — responded with "Good for you Laura!" (X post)

Others were more measured. As one prominent attorney put it: "I hate to say this, but this is a good tweet by Loomer. This is exactly what you should do when you realize you were wrong about something." (X post)

Loomer remains a dedicated Trump ally, continuing to promote MAGA conspiracy theories and Islamophobic rhetoric. She credits her visit to Ukraine with changing her stance on Russia, and on Tuesday posted photographs of herself eating McDonald's in front of a bombed-out street.

Source: Alternet