RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from The Independent — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 2 sourcesWhile her shift on Ukraine has been welcomed by Ukrainian leaders, it has also sparked confusion and suspicion in the United States
Bookmark Comments Go to comments Bookmark popover Removed from bookmarks
Laura Loomer , a figure known for propagating online conspiracy theories, has dramatically reversed her long-standing criticism of Ukraine , now urging fellow conservatives to be wary of Moscow's propaganda .
After traveling across Ukraine to witness the devastation of the ongoing war, Loomer admits she fell for some falsehoods herself.
A close ally of President Donald Trump , Loomer is now advocating for a re-evaluation of information, telling The Associated Press in Kyiv, "You don’t need to listen to a podcaster and let them influence your opinion about a country. You can look at those facts yourself."
This interview took place in an underground bomb shelter, as the city endured another ballistic missile attack, shortly after her return from a trip near the front lines in eastern Ukraine.
Loomer, who maintains influence with President Trump despite holding no official role, stated they spoke by phone after her meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
She anticipates another meeting with President Trump upon her return from the trip.
While her shift on Ukraine has been welcomed by Ukrainian leaders, whose relationship with President Trump has at times been strained, it has also sparked confusion and suspicion in the United States.
Loomer consistently denies that Ukraine is funding her travels.
As President Trump and President Zelenskyy prepare for a meeting in Washington, Loomer believes her trip has already made a difference, refocusing attention on the conflict as Congress debates new sanctions against Russia .
"It’s looking good for Ukraine, right?" she remarked. "Going into this meeting next week at the Oval Office is looking pretty good."
Loomer confessed to President Zelenskyy during an interview for her Rumble show, "I’ve come to realize I was bamboozled by Russian propaganda and I came to believe a lot of untrue things about Ukraine. I used to think that this was a country full of Nazis."
She attributed her indoctrination to being banned from American social media platforms, which led her to Telegram, a platform where Russian media is widely disseminated.
"The Russians," she added, "are very good at capitalizing on people’s rage. And I was very angry," she said, referencing her feelings about the 2020 election, which she falsely claims was stolen from President Trump despite all evidence to the contrary.
She described her change in perspective as gradual, noting how podcasters like Tucker Carlson seemed to "turn on President Trump" with rhetoric amplified by Russian sources.
Loomer, who identifies as an independent journalist, told the AP she believes her reversal is already influencing opinions within President Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement.
"Oh, 100%," she asserted. "I’ve received messages all day from different people and media and politics and people just who follow me online who said, ’Wow, I didn’t realize how much we’ve been lied to.' ‘Wow, you really opened my eyes.’"
Ukrainian officials have embraced the opportunity to engage an ardent Trump ally with a significant online following. Beyond her interview with President Zelenskyy, Loomer met with other top Ukrainian officials and the country's chief rabbi.
President Zelenskyy's office praised her on social media, stating, "It takes courage to come to Ukraine and not be deterred by Russian propaganda or air raid sirens."
Loomer also toured the Dormition Cathedral of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a monastic complex recently targeted by Russian attacks.
Tetyana Berezhna, Ukraine's deputy prime minister and minister of culture, expressed hope for Loomer's impact: "Laura is very powerful and she’s very authoritative in the U.S., so I hope that everything she has seen by her own eyes will help her to spread the truth when she is back at the U.S."
She added, "I do really hope and I believe that her visit will have a huge impact on relations with the U.S. administration."
President Trump appears to be closely following Loomer's trip, sharing a video of her conversation with President Zelenskyy on social media, commenting, "Very good!!!" on Thursday evening.
This follows a pattern where President Trump has often heeded her advice, including a purge of his National Security Council staff last year after Loomer raised concerns about their loyalty in an Oval Office meeting.
Despite her newfound stance against Russian propaganda, Loomer has a documented history of spreading conspiracy theories, including sharing a video that called 9/11 an "inside job" and amplifying a false claim about Haitian immigrants eating dogs and cats in Ohio, which President Trump later repeated during a debate.
While her views on Russia's invasion may have shifted, some of her bigoted opinions remain, as evidenced by her social media post on Saturday: "One thing I really love about Ukraine is I haven’t seen a single Muslim here. It’s so refreshing."
However, in her interview, Loomer criticized how influential podcasters can disseminate misinformation.
"They have been able to warp people’s minds to the point where people aren’t even capable of analyzing a subject with common sense anymore because they want to depend on these personalities to give them the opinion that they think they should have," she said, labeling the situation "a major national security threat." She believes that "information war" has "the potential to be more destructive than any kinetic war that our country may ever face" and urged the Trump administration to take the threat of Russian propaganda, foreign interference, and influence operations more seriously.
"I think that some of our leaders are being influenced by propaganda," she stated.
The White House has frequently downplayed Moscow's influence, particularly as President Trump has...
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.