Washington, D.C., April 3, 2025 – The White House has terminated several National Security Council (NSC) staffers following a Wednesday meeting between President Donald Trump and far-right activist Laura Loomer, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News. The abrupt dismissals, which occurred shortly after Trump’s tariff announcement in the Rose Garden on April 2, have raised eyebrows across the capital, spotlighting Loomer’s influence over the administration just months into Trump’s second term.
A Controversial Oval Office Encounter
Loomer, a self-described investigative journalist known for promoting conspiracy theories—including claims that the September 11 attacks were an “inside job”—met with Trump in the Oval Office for roughly 30 minutes. Sources say she arrived armed with a dossier of opposition research targeting NSC officials she deemed disloyal to the president’s “America First” agenda. Present at the meeting were Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Vice President JD Vance, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, and Sergio Gor, head of the Presidential Personnel Office. Representative Scott Perry (R-Pa.), a staunch Trump ally, was also there, though reportedly for a separate discussion.
During the session, Loomer allegedly pressed Trump to purge staffers she accused of being “neocons” or insufficiently aligned with his vision, directly criticizing some in front of Waltz, their supervisor. By Wednesday evening, at least three senior NSC officials—Brian Walsh, Thomas Boodry, and David Feith—were fired, with sources suggesting the number could climb to six. Walsh, a director for intelligence, previously served under Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Boodry, a legislative affairs senior director, worked for Waltz in Congress; and Feith oversaw technology and national security, with prior Trump administration experience. “It’s a bloodbath,” one U.S. official told Axios, hinting at a broader anti-establishment purge.
Timing and Context
The firings follow a rocky start for the NSC under Waltz, who has faced scrutiny after inadvertently adding The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a Signal chat discussing sensitive Yemen airstrikes in March—an error that exposed operational details and embarrassed the administration. Loomer had publicly targeted Deputy National Security Adviser Alex Wong, questioning his loyalty due to his wife’s past DOJ role under Democrats, though Wong remains in his post as of Thursday morning. Sources differ on whether the Signal leak directly triggered the dismissals, but the timing amplifies perceptions of chaos within Trump’s national security team.
NSC spokesman Brian Hughes declined to comment, stating, “NSC doesn’t discuss personnel matters.” Loomer, in a statement to ABC News, confirmed the meeting but kept details sparse: “Out of respect for President Trump and the privacy of the Oval Office, I’m declining to divulge specifics. It was an honor to present my findings, and I’ll keep pushing for strong vetting to protect the President and our national security.”
A Far-Right Firebrand’s Ascendancy
Loomer’s sway is striking. A 31-year-old Floridian with a history of inflammatory rhetoric—she once speculated the White House would “smell like curry” if Kamala Harris won—her proximity to Trump has grown since 2024, when she joined him on campaign stops and his private jet. Despite efforts by aides like Wiles to limit her access during the election, her Oval Office appearance signals a triumph for the MAGA fringe. Posts on X reflect the divide: some laud her as a “patriot” purging “RINOs,” while others decry her influence as “toxic” and “unhinged.”
The dismissals cap a turbulent period for the NSC, which saw 150 staffers purged post-inauguration to align with Trump’s goals, leaving it lean on expertise. Critics, including Democratic lawmakers, warn that ceding personnel decisions to figures like Loomer—a QAnon sympathizer banned from Uber and PayPal for past stances—could destabilize U.S. foreign policy at a time of global unrest, from Ukraine to the Middle East.
Fallout and Questions
As news broke, Trump allies like Vance stayed silent, while Waltz’s job security remains a whispered concern—though Trump has so far stood by him. The firings’ scale and speed suggest Loomer’s “research” hit its mark, though their long-term impact is unclear. Will this embolden Trump’s far-right base or expose rifts in his administration? For now, the NSC reels, and Washington watches as a polarizing activist shapes the nation’s security apparatus from the shadows of the Oval Office.
