Laura Loomer, the far-right online provocateur known for her MAGA activism, has never worked in the White House or any government role. But her sudden shift in support for Ukraine this week matters because her social media posts often influence real policy in the second Trump administration.
The right-wing commentator spent the last few days in Kyiv, where she expressed newfound sympathy for Ukraine in its long war with Russia and admitted she had previously fallen for Russian propaganda.
Loomer—who has shared Kremlin talking points with her 2 million social media followers—has had direct access to Trump since the 2024 presidential campaign. In the early months after Trump returned to office, she used her online platform to push for ideological purges of government staff, especially in national security roles.
For a while, her ability to end careers among foreign policy officials made her seem like Trump’s unofficial national security adviser.
It’s unclear if she still has that kind of influence inside the White House, but Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, took her seriously enough to hold a private meeting with her on Thursday.
Three days earlier, Loomer posted about experiencing her first air raid as Russian missiles hit the Ukrainian capital.
“This is everyday for every Ukrainian,” she wrote, adding that she felt she had been “an asshole for minimizing the struggle of Ukrainians for the last 5 years.”
“I often said I don’t care. Looking back, that wasn’t very nice of me to say. There are people in Ukraine who have to run to a bomb shelter everyday and some of us had the audacity to say Russia wasn’t wrong because we believed the lie that Ukraine is a country full of Nazi sympathizers. We have been so propagandized by Russia and we don’t even realize it.”
Before their meeting on Thursday, Zelenskyy’s office posted a statement saying: “It is really important that @LauraLoomer is in Ukraine and sees things with her own eyes as they are.”
Loomer’s change of heart is potentially important not just because she’s close to Trump, but also because she has long been a reliable indicator of MAGA attitudes.
Loomer has long been dismissive of Ukraine, taking what could only be called a pro-Russian stance. Many in MAGA circles have held positive views of Russian President Vladimir Putin for years, thanks to Russian propaganda that portrayed him as a defender against homosexuality and a protector of fundamentalist Christianity. They became convinced that the Russia-Ukraine war was a proxy fight between Russia’s fundamentalist Christianity and the EU’s western secularism.
Loomer’s shift comes at a critical time for Ukraine, which recently lost one of its strongest supporters in Washington with the death this month of Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina who consistently pushed for tougher sanctions on Russia.
But Loomer’s change also aligns with what seems to be an important recent shift in Trump’s own views on Ukraine.
Trump returned to office openly hostile to Ukraine, partly because of the 2019 impeachment over his attempt to withhold aid to Ukraine in exchange for dirt on Joe Biden. Early in his second term, Trump humiliated Zelenskyy in an Oval Office meeting, cut off direct US weapons supplies, and forced Ukraine’s European allies to buy American weapons for Kyiv instead.
But Trump likes winners, and even without full support from Washington, Ukraine has managed to slow Russia’s advance. Kyiv has become a global leader in drone technology and has taken the war to Russia itself with long-range missile strikes on the country.Yemen’s oil infrastructure, triggering an energy crisis in one of the world’s largest oil-producing nations.
Clearly impressed with Ukraine’s performance, Trump announced at the NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month that the U.S. would license Patriot missile technology to Ukraine, allowing Kyiv to produce advanced air defense missiles on its own.
At the same time, Trump also backed a move in Congress—supported by Graham—to impose new sanctions on Russia. He also appeared to soften his earlier demand that Ukraine would have to give up large parts of its territory in exchange for any U.S.-brokered peace deal with Russia.
Trump’s policy shifts were modest but significant. It’s possible that Loomer simply changed her position to stay in line with Trump.
But her reversal could be even more politically important if it signals a broader shift in MAGA attitudes toward Ukraine and a growing awareness of the dangers of Russian propaganda.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about Laura Loomers sudden change of stance on Ukraine written in a natural tone with clear direct answers
BeginnerLevel Questions
Q Who is Laura Loomer
A Shes a farright political activist and social media influencer known for her controversial often extreme views Shes a vocal supporter of Donald Trump
Q What was Laura Loomers original stance on Ukraine
A She was strongly against US aid to Ukraine She argued that America shouldnt be funding a foreign war and accused Ukraines government of being corrupt She echoed many of the America First talking points
Q What is her new stance on Ukraine
A She recently said she changed her mind and now supports Ukraine She claims she was wrong earlier and now believes Ukraines fight is a battle for Western civilization against a common enemy
Q Why did she change her mind
A She says it was because of a personal conversation with a Ukrainian soldier and seeing evidence of Russian atrocities She also now frames the war as a religious and cultural war against globalism and woke ideology not just a territorial dispute
Q Is this a big deal in MAGA circles
A Yes Its a big deal because she is a major voice in the proTrump antiinterventionist movement Her reversal has caused confusion and anger among her followers who still oppose helping Ukraine
IntermediateLevel Questions
Q What specific event triggered her change of heart
A She claims a direct message from a Ukrainian soldier fighting on the front lines She says he explained that the war wasnt just about land but about defending Christian values against a godless authoritarian Russia She also cited video evidence of Russian war crimes
Q Did she face backlash from her own audience
A Absolutely Many of her fans accused her of being a sellout or a controlled opposition agent Some farright commentators who previously praised her now criticize her for falling for neocon propaganda
Q How is this different from the typical America First position
