Far-right influencer and informal Trump adviser Laura Loomer launched a scathing attack against the Trump administration on Friday, October 10, 2025, over the decision to grant Qatar an air force base in Idaho. The move has created a rare fracture between one of Trump’s most ardent supporters and the administration she has long championed.
Loomer expressed her outrage on X, asking sarcastically if the call to prayer would be broadcast in Idaho five times daily. She escalated her criticism with inflammatory comments about whether Americans would need Arabic lessons funded by the Emir or make other religious accommodations. The 32-year-old activist, who describes herself as an Islamophobe, condemned what she viewed as gifting American soil to funders of Islamic terrorism.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Qatari Emiri Air Force facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base on Friday morning. The arrangement will allow Qatari F-15 fighter jets and pilots to train alongside American forces. Hegseth thanked Qatar for playing a core part in negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Palestine, telling Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani that the partnership demonstrated how Qatar could count on American support.
The decision appears connected to several recent developments between the Trump administration and Qatar. The tiny Middle Eastern nation gifted Trump a Boeing 747 in May 2025, and the Trump Organization purchased a golf course in Qatar the previous month. These transactions preceded Trump signing an executive order pledging to give the non-NATO ally the same level of protection as some of America’s most powerful allies.
Loomer indicated she viewed the arrangement as a betrayal of conservative principles, stating that if the GOP continued to allow what she characterized as the Islamification of America and permitted funders of Islamic terrorism from Qatar into the country, she would not vote in 2026 and could not encourage others to vote either. She specifically criticized allowing Muslims to have military bases on American soil when she believed Qataris were funding Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
The criticism marks a significant departure for Loomer, who has operated as Trump’s unofficial loyalty enforcer and maintained tremendous influence over administration personnel decisions. Since March 2025, Trump has fired more than a dozen officials that Loomer targeted through her opposition research and social media campaigns. Her attacks have previously led to firings within the White House, National Security Agency, Department of Justice, and other agencies.
Most notably, when Loomer criticized National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and his deputies during a meeting in the Oval Office with Trump to discuss their loyalties, they were subsequently removed from their positions. She also successfully pressured the State Department to halt all visitor visas from Gaza after claiming the program posed national security threats.
The Qatar controversy has drawn criticism from multiple political perspectives. Conservative commentator Noah Rothman questioned the strategic rationale for the decision, noting he could identify numerous problems and risks but struggled to understand the case supporting it. GOP consultant Mike Madrid pointed out the inconsistency of criticizing President Biden for allowing a Chinese balloon to fly over American airspace while giving Qatar an entire air base.
However, some defended the arrangement as standard practice. Dan Caldwell, formerly of the Department of Defense, noted that Singapore maintains a similar facility and detachment for F-15 training at the same airbase, characterizing the reaction as overblown.
Qatar has provided billions of dollars in financial support to Hamas according to Deutsche Welle, and Trump himself stated in 2017 during his first term that Qatar funds Islamic terrorism, though his view of the country appears to have evolved significantly.
Loomer represents the second major MAGA figure to break with Trump and Republicans in recent days. Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has similarly distanced herself from the party over the government shutdown and the release of the Epstein files, though Greene has not yet commented on the Qatar air base decision.
The controversy highlights the complex dynamics within Trump’s inner circle, where Loomer has maintained significant influence despite lacking any official government position. White House officials have previously described her as disruptive and expressed frustration with her impact on administration decisions, though Trump has continued to meet with her and act on her recommendations.
Loomer’s criticism threatens to complicate Trump’s relationship with one of his most effective external advocates. Her statement that she would not vote in 2026 represents a significant escalation that could influence other conservative activists who follow her lead on loyalty issues within the MAGA movement.