Far-right political pundit Laura Loomer has posed with a new piece of Donald Trump merchandise: a hat that reads “I’m voting for the convicted felon.”
“Picked up a new hat today in Alabama,” Loomer wrote on her X account on Sunday night. “I’m voting for the Convicted Felon”. #Felon #OBA.” (OBA an initialism for Orange Beach, Alabama). The post was viewed 411,900 times by Monday morning.
MAGA merchandise often makes the news as it prompts comments online. During July’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, several attendees wore fake bandages on their right ears in solidarity with Trump, who was shot in the right ear days earlier.
Trump has also released $99 trading cards of his mug shot, $399 ‘Never Surrender’ Sneakers, and even brought out $59.99 God Bless the USA Bibles as part of his campaign fundraising. He has sold his red MAGA hats since he campaigned for the 2016 election, the item of merchandise most strongly associated with his political supporters.
Some of the merchandise, like Loomer’s hat, reflect a common belief among Trump’s supporters: that the former president’s legal troubles are a badge of honor, because they believe he is innocent of any crimes, and is the subject of “lawfare“, rather than legitimate legal cases.
Newsweek has contacted Loomer for comment via online form.
Far-right political pundit Laura Loomer, June 13, 2023. Loomer has posed with a new piece of Donald Trump merchandise: a hat which reads ‘I’m voting for the convicted felon.’
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
Trump has numerous legal cases against him. In May, a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records.
Last year, his mugshot was taken in Georgia, where he and 18 other co-defendants are accused of conspiring to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election in the state. As with all the cases against him, he has denied any wrongdoing and said the case is part of a political “witch hunt”.
Trump also faces a federal election interference case which has not yet reached trial.
He previously faced another criminal case relating to classified documents, but it was thrown out by the Trump-appointed District Court Judge Aileen Cannon on the grounds that Jack Smith, the special counsel overseeing the prosecution, was improperly appointed.
Loomer, a self-described investigative journalist and twice-failed GOP congressional candidate, has raked up controversy previously with her posts. She has been banned from several social media services for violating hate speech policies.
In the past, Loomer has promoted several bizarre conspiracy theories including denying the legitimacy of several mass shootings. She once said Islam is a “cancer on humanity.” In a 2017 podcast, she said she was pro-white nationalism and that she believed the U.S. began as a “white, Judeo-Christian ethnostate.”
“I don’t oppose people who say that they wanna have their own ethnostate,” she said. I don’t see anything wrong with white nationalism.”
