Trump Confidante Doesn’t Think Pregnant Women Should Have Government Jobs

One of President Donald Trump’s closest confidantes doesn’t think pregnant women should have jobs in government.
That confidante is Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and 9/11 conspiracy theorist who told The Atlantic in no uncertain terms she’s no ally of moms-to-be.
“Why do we want to have a woman who is pregnant, who is going to have to take maternity leave as soon as she is confirmed?” Loomer asked Atlantic staff writer Michael Scherer, who published a story Thursday that compares Loomer to Sen. Joseph McCarthy and the 1950s-era Communist witch hunts he led. (Loomer took the comparison as a compliment).
According to Scherer, Loomer’s maternal ambush was aimed at Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, though it doesn’t appear Means ― a wellness influencer with an inactive medical license who dropped out of her residency program ― is actually pregnant.
But that didn’t dissuade the attacks.
“You should make a decision,” Loomer said. “Do you want to have a career, or do you want a family?”
“You can have a family, and you can have a career,” she emphasized when asked to clarify.
Loomer then tripled down:
“If you are going to be working in the federal government, don’t you think it is a little abusive if you have a job where you can’t bring your baby every day?” she asked Scherer. “Are my tax dollars supposed to go to her because she doesn’t use a condom? Is there not a man who is qualified?”
Loomer, a civilian who holds no official White House title, nevertheless appears to wield some influence ― worryingly even on matters of national security.
In April, Trump fired numerous senior members of the National Security Council; an unnamed source told Axios the “bloodbath” came a day after Loomer met with the president in the Oval Office.
And last week, the Trump administration stopped issuing medical-humanitarian visas a day after Loomer complained about seeing children from Gaza arriving in San Francisco and Houston for medical treatment.
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