According to Newsweek, Right-wing activist Laura Loomer is facing severe backlash after making baseless allegations that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ wife, Casey DeSantis, exaggerated her battle with cancer in order to gain votes. Loomer, known for her anti-Muslim conspiracy theories and unsuccessful runs for congressional office in Florida, made these claims in a tweet shortly after DeSantis announced his bid for the 2024 GOP nomination, challenging former President Donald Trump.
Trump, who is currently the frontrunner for the nomination, has been targeting DeSantis since the launch of his campaign to regain the White House, as DeSantis is seen as a serious contender. In a lengthy tweet, Loomer, a staunch Trump loyalist whom the former president reportedly considered hiring for a campaign role, questioned the authenticity of Casey DeSantis’ battle with cancer.
Loomer suggested that DeSantis’ supporters shielded Casey from criticism by claiming she had cancer, despite Loomer never having seen any medical records to support the diagnosis. She compared this alleged protection to the attacks against Melania Trump, implying a double standard. Loomer went on to claim that Jill’s health had been exaggerated as a desperate ploy to garner votes for DeSantis, citing the usage of her health struggle in a 2022 campaign commercial.
“DeSantis supporters say you aren’t allowed to criticize Jill DeSantis because she claims she had cancer (I’ve never seen the medical records), but they have no problem attacking Melania Trump,” Loomer wrote, referring to Florida’s first lady by her first name, though she goes by her middle name.
“Personally, I think Jill’s health has been over exaggerated in a desperate effort to get votes for DeSantis. They even used it in a 2022 campaign commercial which is very tacky.”
She further demanded the release of medical records by the DeSantis family to prove that they were not exaggerating the situation. Loomer insinuated that the campaign was exploiting Casey’s cancer battle as a means to appeal to voters and suggested that it made her fair game for criticism.
The comments made by Loomer triggered an immediate and strong backlash on Twitter, with even conservatives and Trump supporters condemning her baseless accusations. Conservative commentator John Cardillo labeled Loomer’s attacks on Casey DeSantis as “inexcusable” and called her claims reprehensible. Fox News contributor Joe Concha described Loomer’s tweet as “one of the most disgusting, vile, patently and intentionally dishonest tweets you’ll ever read.”
DeSantis supporters say you aren’t allowed to criticize Jill DeSantis because she claims she had cancer (I’ve never seen the medical records), but they have no problem attacking Melania Trump.
Personally, I think Jill’s health has been over exaggerated in a desperate effort to… https://t.co/LdqZEqIYYh
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) May 27, 2023
