
Say what you will about President Donald Trump’s first administration, but at least some of the people given top jobs had a morsel of experience doing those jobs. Now, the Trump administration is chock full of the weirdest people the MAGA world has to offer, united by their personal allegiance to one man – Donald J. Trump. From Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, whose qualifications are “co-hosted the weekend edition of Fox and Friends” to Paul Ingrassia, the former podcaster nominated to run the Office of Special Counsel, who thinks the descendents of slaves should pay the descendants of slave-OWNERS reparations….to Laura Loomer, a Jewish, white nationalist, 9/11 truther, who made headlines in 2018 when she chained herself to the doors of Twitter’s office to protest getting banned from the platform.It’s a cavalcade of the worst people ever to be given a high-speed internet connection. Especially when they now have real power. So we spoke to Will Sommer, senior reporter at The Bulw...
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It's Tuesday, September 9th. I'm Jane Coston, and this is what a Day. The show congratulating Lachlan Murdoch on winning control of the Murdoch empire, which includes Fox News, the New York Post, and the Wall Street Journal. I'm sure he will enjoy being loathed by one of this country's two main political factions for the rest of his life. And honestly, it could be either faction at any time. On today's President Donald Trump goes to the Museum of the Bible to say we need religion to have a great nation, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth goes to Puerto Rico to hype up our troops. But let's start with weirdos. Say what you will about Trump's first administration, and believe me, I have, but at least some of the people given top jobs had a morsel of actual experience doing those actual jobs. Former National Security Advisor H.R. mcMaster, for example, was a lieutenant general in the United States army and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mark Milley previously served as the chief of staff of the Army. But that was then. Now the Trump administration is chock full of the weirdest people the MAGA world has to offer, united by their personal allegiance to one man, Donald J. Trump from Secretary of Defense. Or is it Secretary of War now? Pete Hegseth, whose qualifications are co hosted the weekend edition of Fox and Friends to Pauline Gracia, the former podcaster nominated to run the Office of Special Counsel who loves Andrew Tate and thinks the descendants of slaves should pay the descendants of slave owners reparations. It's a cavalcade of the worst people to ever be given a high speed Internet connection, especially when they now have real power. And then there's Laura Loomer, a MAGA influencer who has an almost manic obsession with Trump. She's a Jewish white nationalist 911 Truther who made headlines in 2018 when she chained herself to the doors of Twitter's New York City office to protest getting banned from the platform for Islamophobia. And somehow that's all just the tip of the Laura Loomer iceberg. And you know what's actually terrifyingloomer has Trump's ear on hiring, firing, and even who gets to enter the United States in the first place. Fantastic. No one knows the world of MAGA better than Will Sommer, a senior reporter with the Bulwark. So I absolutely had to talk to Will about the world of MAGA and how the most bananas pants people in America rose to the very top of the federal government. Will Sommer welcome back to what a Day.
B
Hey, thanks for having me.
A
I am so happy that you're here because if anyone can explain what is going on in the world of right wing influencers who have way too much influence over this administration, it's you. So I thought we could start with just an overview of some of the main players in this sphere. If you had to draw like a family tree of MAGA personalities that have real influence on the White House right now, who would be in it?
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I mean, I think at the top I'd put Laura Loomer. You know, she's someone who has managed to really take heads knocking specific people out of organizations. I mean, she got the general counsel at the NSA out. I mean, she purged the National Security Council. She got the head of, you know, vaccine treatments approved approval ousted at the fda. I mean, the list goes on. So I think she would definitely be at the top of the list, among others.
A
So we have Laura Loomer at the top of the food chain. Who else is in this, do you think? Like the important people, you know, kind of your Jack's Posobiec, for example?
B
Yeah, sure. I mean, like, let's just jump off with Jack Posobic there. I mean, this is a guy who, he was originally like a Game of Thrones fan fiction writer that didn't really work out. I mean, this is the deep lore. He was one of the first Pizzagate guys. He went to Comet ping pong and was live streaming and sort of like, maybe I'll get eaten, I don't know. So then from there he became a right wing pundit and now we see him. He pals around with Pete Hegseth, he goes on these foreign trips. He's one of these people who is invited to these sort of cozy bizarro press briefings, you might call them, where they're stocked with all of these real pro Trump reporters. Or you could also look at someone like Charlie Kirk, the head of Turning Point usa, who's a podcaster, but also has so much influence on the right that we know when the Jeffrey Epstein saga was really at its height that Donald Trump reportedly called him personally and said, hey, lay off, stop talking about Epstein.
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I want to drill down into the completely baffling ascent of Laura Loomer because she's climbed the ladder above everyone else and has a direct line to the President and yet has changed absolutely nothing about how she talks about her beliefs or just how she behaves in general. Like, I think that a lot of people were really thrown off last year when she was flying with then candidate trump to the 911 memorial. While she is also a 911 truther. And I think that a lot of people, it seems, are terrified of her because she has gotten a lot of people fired, as you've mentioned. And I just want to know, how did we go from someone who I knew because I'm terminally online as the person who chained herself to the door of Twitter's headquarters to being the top Trump whisperer, how did this happen?
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I mean, it just sort of shows you, I think, how much Donald Trump values this kind of like almost, you know, incredibly intense loyalty towards him. I mean, this is someone, as you said, sycophancy. That's sycophancy, I think would be the way to put it. Yeah. I mean, she said, basically, I've given up having a family, having kids. I've devoted my life to Donald Trump. So she's, for her, Trump is everything. And as you said, she was doing stuff, you know, seven, eight years ago that even these other right wing influencers were like, you know, I don't wanna be seen with her. You know, she got Bai from Twitter. She called me up and said, my life has been ruined. She seemed to be. It got to the point I was like, do I even want to write about her? I mean, she basically has no influence and yet through this kind of really die hard, kamikaze devotion to Donald Trump and she's willing to attack people for really crazy reasons. I mean, she went after this, I believe, a Medal of Honor recipient who badly hurt his leg by tackling a suicide bomber, you know, a hero by any measure. And she said, well, this guy spoke at the Democratic convention and the Pentagon shouldn't be honoring this guy. I mean, for her, really, it just seems like Donald Trump is the only thing that matters. I mean, most recently or maybe most strikingly, she managed to get the US to block medical visas for injured Gazans, children who had limbs blown off, who were visiting the country for medical treatment. She started saying, you know, who knows what these Gazans are going to get up to in America. This was an issue that didn't even exist for conservatives before she posted about it. And then within 48 hours, she manages to get all these children and adults blocked from receiving medical treatment. I mean, that is how much influence she has. And I think obviously she's often using it for really, you know, sinister ends.
A
And what is her end goal? Like she's talked about how, as you've mentioned, like, she doesn't care about having a family or really having a life outside of Donald Trump. But she has run for office before. Didn't go well. She was allegedly up for potentially the White House press secretary job. Did not get that. But what's in it for her besides her deep and abiding love for Donald Trump?
B
Yeah, so this is interesting. On one hand, I do think she really is just very obsessed with Donald Trump. And, you know, I talked to her a good amount, and, you know, that's her life. You know, you watch these videos where journalists visit her in her apartment, and it's very Trump themed. We got kind of a glimpse into this in the summer of 2024 when people were saying, you know, what's up with Trump and Loomer? Why are they hanging out? Bill Maher sort of insinuated on his show that they were sleeping together, and so she's suing him over that. And this deposition revealed all of these embarrassing things about her. One of the things they said was, well, you know, what did Bill Maher really do that hurt you so much? And she said, well, you know, I could have, you know, I'd like to be a White House press secretary. I'd like to be in the administration. And then from there, you know, who knows? I could have my own foundation people work at the White House and get cable news gigs. I could have had this, you know, paraphrasing here. I could have had this sort of very lucrative career after the Trump administration.
A
So I want to ask, what is Laura Loomer's process? Like, how was she finding all of this information about people who are like, you know, some under secretary at the National Security Administration or something like that? Like, how is she doing this?
B
Well, you know, I think what she would say is just that, you know, she works really hard and she Googles people a lot and goes through campaign finance filings. I believe that to some extent. But I also think it's. It's pretty fair to assume that there are people within the administration who are leaking things to her. I mean, she knew details about Hunter Biden's security detail when he was abroad. I mean, things that you obviously couldn't just look up online. And also, I think she's sort of being used, and I'm sure she doesn't mind it, by various factions if they want to take someone out, if they want to take some policy role for their own group that they'll leak against someone, some unflattering information or, you know, a tweet that this person sent against Trump or, you know, factions within the administration are also outside of it. I mean, she really went on a campaign against some of RFK Jr. S people at HHS and the FDA in a way that prompted allegations that she was in league with Big Pharma. Again, we don't really have concrete proof of that, but she does really seem to champion these causes in suspicious ways.
A
Now, here's another question for you. You and I both know that among MAGA people and especially among Republicans who are MAGA adjacent and are kind of putting up with a lot of this, none of them like Laura Loomer. They all very much dislike her. Why do you think that those people have had so little success in separating Trump from Loomer?
B
Yeah, I mean, certainly, you know, the Marjorie Taylor Greene who's like an arch enemy of Laura Loomer's. People like that have, have leaked unflattering things about Loomer in an attempt to sort of keep Trump from hiring her. At the same time, you know, she gets back in somehow and I think it is Trump seems to really like her and she's really effective. I mean, he, she can sort of take out his enemies or people she deems disloyal. And so I think as long as she keeps the hits coming, I mean, she'll be with the administration. Administration and often how these big right wing media personalities bump up against each other and turn on each other, the sad reality is that often does affect our policies and sort of the future of this country.
A
I mean, I think that that goes to my big wrap up question for you, which is what does all of this say about the Trump administration?
B
I mean, I don't think it says anything good. I mean, I think truly these people who we recognized as in the past, in the first administration as sort of very unsavory or unhinged characters that now are regularly visiting the White House and, you know, calling the shots to some extent. I mean, obviously it's among many alarming things with this administration.
A
Will, thank you so much as always for joining me.
B
Thanks for having me.
A
That was my conversation with Will Sommer, a senior reporter with the Bulwark where he covers right wing media. We'll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe. Leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. What a day is brought to you by Zebiotics. Let's face it, after a night with drinks, I don't bounce back the next day. Like I used to I have to make a choice. I can either have a great night or a great next day. That is, until I found Pre Alcohol Zebiotics Pre Alcohol Probiotic Drink is the world's first genetically engineered probiotic. It was invented by PhD scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Here's how it when you drink, alcohol gets converted into a toxic byproduct in the gut. It's a buildup of this byproduct, not dehydration, that's to blame for rough days after drinking. Pre alcohol produces an enzyme to break this byproduct down. Just remember to make pre alcohol your first drink of the night. Drink responsibly and you'll feel your best tomorrow. Every time I have pre alcohol before drinks, I do notice a difference the next day. Even after a night out, I can confidently plan on working out without worrying Fall is right around the corner, so that means it's a time to raise a glass to your favorite team. Whether you're tailgating, enjoying a college game day, or watching Sunday's action on that fancy new tv, don't forget Zebiotics Pre Alcohol Probiotic Drink. Drink up Pre Alcohol before drinking and enjoy great days after celebrating all season long. Go to zebiotics.com wad to learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use code WAD at checkout. ZBiotics is backed with a 100% money back guarantee, so if you're unsatisfied for any reason, they'll refund your money, no questions asked. Remember to head to zebiotics.com wad and use the code WAD at checkout for 15% off.
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To have a great nation, you have to have religion. I believe that so strongly. There has to be something after we go through all of this.
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And that something is God inspiring. That's Trump speaking to his Religious Liberty Commission at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. he announced new guidance from the Department of Education on prayer in public schools, but didn't say what the guns would actually entail. He spoke for nearly an hour on religion and a host of unrelated topics. First, he alleged that school children are being indoctrinated with anti religious propaganda. Then he called former President Joe Biden a, quote, mean guy. And then he brought up crime in the District of Columbia, suggesting that domestic violence shouldn't count as a crime because it undermines the perceived success of its crackdown on the city.
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Things that take place in the home they call crime, you know, they'll do anything they can to find something. If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say this was a crime. See? So now I can't claim 100% domestic.
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Violence is a crime. Trump also announced that he would donate his own family Bible because that apparently exists and has been opened to the Bible Museum. Unclear if it's the same Bible he brought to his infamous photo op in Lafayette Square in 2020. Or perhaps it's one of his branded God bless the USA Bibles, which can be yours for just $100. A new list of convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's associates that is currently being compiled by survivors of his abuse has around 30 to 50 names on it. That's according to one of Epstein's survivors, Lisa Phillips, who spoke exclusively to Crooked Media's Matt Berg. Last week, survivors of Epstein made headlines by announcing a plan to draft their own list of people associated with him. Phillips tells Berg that not all of the people listed are accused of wrongdoing. Her comments come as the Epstein Trump controversy continues to balloon. Lawyers for Epstein's estate gave Congress a copy of the now infamous birthday book. Remember that book, the one the Wall Street Journal reported in July that contains letters from Epstein's social circle, including one signed by none other than Donald Trump? Well, now you can see the letter for yourself. That's because Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released it on Monday. Here's ranking member California Representative Robert Garcia.
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This note Donald Trump has said does not exist well, once again he is lying to the American public and is leading a White House cover up. Now I'm going to show you the note that we've now acquired. It's a little crude, so I do apologize if you don't want to see it. But this is the actual note. You see the president's signature there. You can read some of the words that he is sharing with his friend and Jeffrey Epstein.
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Head to our YouTube to see the letter in full. Trump has denied writing the letter and sued the Journal for its reporting. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt also continued to deny the legitimacy of the letter Monday, saying that litigation will continue.
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What is happening here in the city.
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Of Los Angeles is wrong and violates.
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People'S constitutional rights and I think they will get the unmistakable picture that we will present to them and we will get the victory.
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Immigrants rights attorneys and advocates rallied Monday, hitting back at the Supreme Court. It comes after the justices handed Trump a win in his crackdown on immigration, allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to continue its so called roving raids around Los Angeles. When armed ICE officers wearing masks singled people out at car washes in Home Depot parking lots based on loose criteria such as speaking Spanish, the court didn't explain its decision. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court's first Hispanic justice, responded in a fiery dissent, which was joined by the other liberal justices. We should not have to live in a country where the government conceives anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish and appears to work a low wage job rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are lost. I dissent.
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How we doing, warriors? I think this might be the single most beautiful picture I have ever seen in my entire life.
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Now that's a man who likes to hear himself speak.
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Make no mistake about it. What you're doing right now, it's not training. This is the real world exercise on behalf of the vital national interests of the United States of America to end the poisoning of the American people.
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Secretary of Defense Excuse me, War Pete Hegseth gave an absolutely rousing and not at all concerning speech to troops aboard the USS Iwo Jima. On Monday, Hegseth traveled to Puerto Rico alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Air Force General Dan Kane as the US Steps up its military operations against drug cartels in the Caribbean. Just over a week ago, hundreds of U.S. marines deployed to Puerto Rico for a training exercise, a move that some on the island have criticized. Hegseth also rallied troops on the ground, hyping up Trump's executive order to rename the Department of Defense the reason I.
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Like the name War Department so much is not because I love war. I don't and neither do you. It's because I seek and love peace.
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No, I think Pete Hegseth loves war a whole lot. This all comes on the heels of a US Strike carried out in the southern Caribbean against a vessel that had left Venezuela and was suspected of carrying drugs. Eleven people were killed in the rare US Military operation there. Trump and his subservient administration said the vessel was operated by the Venezuelan gang Trenda Aragua, but provided no evidence. Venezuela's government on Monday insisted that the US Is falsely accusing it of playing a crucial role in the global drug trade. And that's the news. Before we go I'm excited to officially announce that I will be at CrookedCon and I want to share a preview of our lineup, which includes Dan Pfeiffer, Ben Rhodes, Alyssa Mastromonico, Aaron Ryan, Sarah Longwell, Hassan Piker, Faz Shakir, Brian Tyler Cohen, Jessica Tarlov, Senator Ruben Gallego, Governor Andy Bashir, Representative Sarah McBride, Representative Janelle Bynum, and Ben Wickler, all with a strict scrutiny live pod to close out the day, CrookedCon is your chance to join some of the smartest organizers and least annoying politicians in America to strategize, debate and commiserate about where the pro democratic movement goes from here. Hopefully up. We will all be in Washington D.C. on November 7th for a full day of exciting conversations, panels, workshops and live pods. And by popular demand, we just added more tickets. See the full lineup and get your tickets before they sell out@crookedcon.com that's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe. Leave a review. Celebrate great minds like Treasury Secretary Scott Besant threatening to punch a Top Trump housing official quote, in the fucking face at a private party last Wednesday. And tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just about how this is possibly the third time Besant has threatened to punch another official in the face just in the last six months. Like me, what a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe@cricket.com subscribe I'm Jane Coston and Scott Besant. Stop threatening to punch people in the face unless you're willing to punch someone in the face. Also, stop doing everything else you're doing. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producer is Emily Foer. Our video editor is Joseph Dutra. Our video producer is Johanna Case. We have production help today from Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Megan Larson, Gina Pollack and Jonah Eatman. Our senior producer is Erika Morrison and our senior vice president of news and politics is Adrienne Hill. We had help today from the Associated Press. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America. East.
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Host: Jane Coaston (Crooked Media)
Guest: Will Sommer (Senior Reporter, The Bulwark)
Date: September 9, 2025
Main Theme:
An in-depth look at how Laura Loomer—a once-fringe right-wing influencer notorious for her extreme views and stunts—ascended to a position of major influence in the Trump administration, with particular focus on the broader phenomenon of MAGA media personalities shaping federal power.
This episode dives into Laura Loomer's astonishing rise from online provocateur to a pivotal insider with the Trump White House, dissecting the mechanics of MAGA influencer power, their personal relationships, and the real-world impacts of their newfound authority. Host Jane Coaston is joined by Will Sommer for a candid and sharp discussion illuminating how figures once considered "too fringe" now steer national decisions.
“She got the general counsel at the NSA out. I mean, she purged the National Security Council… She got the head of vaccine treatments… ousted at the FDA. The list goes on.”
— Will Sommer ([03:01])
“Within 48 hours, she manages to get all these children and adults blocked from receiving medical treatment. That is how much influence she has.”
— Will Sommer ([06:31])
“These people who we recognized… as sort of very unsavory or unhinged characters… now are regularly visiting the White House and calling the shots to some extent.”
— Will Sommer ([10:28])
On the Murdoch Succession:
“I'm sure [Lachlan Murdoch] will enjoy being loathed by one of this country's two main political factions for the rest of his life. And honestly, it could be either faction at any time.”
— Jane Coaston ([00:15])
On Loomer’s Devotion:
“I've given up having a family, having kids. I've devoted my life to Donald Trump.”
— Paraphrased from Loomer via Will Sommer ([05:25])
On MAGA Strategy:
“She’s sort of being used, and I’m sure she doesn’t mind it, by various factions… If they want to take someone out, they’ll leak against someone—some unflattering information or a tweet…”
— Will Sommer ([08:24])
On Loomer's Widespread Dislike:
“Among MAGA people and especially among Republicans who are MAGA adjacent and are kind of putting up with a lot of this, none of them like Laura Loomer. They all very much dislike her.”
— Jane Coaston ([09:20])
On MAGA Infighting Affecting Policy:
“…the sad reality is that often does affect our policies and sort of the future of this country.”
— Will Sommer ([10:16])
The conversation is incisive, irreverent, and worried—a blend of darkly comic disgust and sobering analysis. Jane Coaston’s irrepressible wit and Will Sommer’s deep familiarity with the right-wing media ecosystem make for an engaging, accessible walkthrough of why Loomer’s rise is both astonishing and alarming. The message is clear: the American far-right’s most extreme online influencers are no longer outsiders—they are, in some cases, running the show.
For those seeking to understand how internet provocateurs overtook established political figures in the Trump administration—and what it means for the country—this episode is a must-listen.