Conservative activist Laura Loomer has lashed out at the Trump administration after news broke that Qatar will be allowed to establish a military facility in Idaho. The move, unveiled by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has triggered outrage among Trump loyalists and conservative commentators.
“Never thought I’d see Republicans give terror financing Muslims from Qatar a MILITARY BASE on US soil so they can murder Americans... I cannot in good conscience make any excuses for the harboring of jihadis. This is where I draw the line,” Loomer wrote on X, expressing disbelief and anger.
She went on to declare that she “won’t be voting in 2026,” saying she felt betrayed by what she once viewed as an unshakable conservative movement.
The controversy erupted when Hegseth announced that the Qatari Emiri Air Force would be permitted to operate at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. Officials said the site would be used to host Qatari F-15 jets and pilots for training and cooperation purposes rather than for combat operations.
Defending the decision, Hegseth explained that the partnership would “enhance combined training, increase lethality, and strengthen interoperability” between the US and Qatar.
But that reassurance did little to calm critics within the MAGA camp. Many argued the move violated the “America First” principles that defined Trump’s earlier policies.
Loomer called the plan “dangerous” and said her friend Hegseth “should know how bad of an idea it is to allow terror-funding Qataris, who back Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, to have an air force base on US soil.”
Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon also condemned the decision, telling Newsweek that “there should never be a military base of a foreign power on the sacred soil of America.”
Commentator Amy Mek echoed those sentiments, saying she was “in shock” and accused Washington of “building a launchpad for the Islamic disaster.”
Qatar remains a long-standing strategic ally of the United States, hosting the Al-Udeid Air Base near Doha — one of the largest American military hubs overseas and a key post for CENTCOM operations.
The new Idaho facility, however, represents an unusual step — one that grants a foreign military training access on US territory. The announcement also follows months of scrutiny after Trump accepted a luxury jet from Qatar, a move that stirred bipartisan criticism at the time.
As the backlash grows, Loomer’s denunciation stands out as one of the strongest yet from within Trump’s own conservative circle.
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