Key Points:
American far-right activist Laura Loomer spoke at the India Today Conclave 2026, where she discussed US-India relations and the controversy over her past anti-India tweets. Her invitation had earlier triggered backlash on social media.
During the session, Loomer strongly criticised Pakistan, saying its “biggest export is terrorism”. She said the world would be more vulnerable to terror without leaders like Donald Trump, Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Addressing her past tweets about Indians, Loomer said she should not have written some of them and apologised if they caused offence. Journalist Rajdeep Sardesai criticised her remarks, calling them racist and Islamophobic.
The India Today Conclave featured Laura Loomer as a speaker today, March 14, 2026. The theme of the conclave this year is “Year of Breakthroughs or Breakdown", highlighting events of national and international importance in 2025. Laura Loomer is an American far-right activist and close supporter of US President Donald Trump. She had faced a lot of backlash earlier over her invitation to the program. Ahead of her invitation, many users on X posted her previous tweets showcasing negative remarks about Indians. They also asked why she was being invited, given her hatred for India?
Speaking today at the India Today Conclave 2026, she talked about India-US relations and the controversy over her past anti-India social media posts. She also strongly criticised Pakistan during the discussion, stating that the country’s “biggest export is terrorism” and warning the United States against strengthening ties with Islamabad.
Speaking about global security, she mentioned that the world needed strong leadership to combat terrorism. She claimed the world would be “more vulnerable to terror without leaders like Donald Trump, Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu.” She also mentioned that the world was getting severely affected from Islamic terrorism, which is originating in Pakistan.
Loomer referred to several terror incidents to argue that the threat is real and persistent. She mentioned attacks such as the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama attack, the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, and other such terror incidents to highlight India’s suffering from terrorism. She described such attacks as “a grim reality” and said fighting terrorism should be a shared priority for the US and India.
She also criticised Trump’s meeting with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, but also mentioned that as the US President, Trump was entitled to diplomatic discussions with Munir. She also said that many Islamist terror attacks worldwide have links back to Pakistan and warned the US against strengthening ties with the Pakistani government.
During the session, Loomer read out a message from Trump in which he praised India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to the message shared at the conclave, Trump said he “loves India” and considers Modi “a fantastic leader and a good friend,” adding that he hopes to visit India soon.
Addressing her previous social media posts that were widely criticised as racist and derogatory towards Indians, she said: “I should not have said some of the things I wrote in the tweets.” She added that she did not harbour hostility toward India or Hindus and apologised if her remarks had offended people.
However, she maintained her opposition to the H-1B visa programme, arguing that it affects American workers and that she would continue advocating for US labour interests. She also mentioned that she would stay in India the coming week and was looking forward to travelling across the country.
Rajdeep Sardesai, eminent Indian journalist and India Today anchor, strongly criticised her remarks about India in her tweets. He said: “From what I can see, you’re brazenly racist, and Islamophobic. And I am sorry to say that we have “Atithi Devo Bhava” (Guest is like a God), in this country where we welcome all, but your comments smack of anti-Indianism, worse still, Islamophobia, and even worse, racism, which has no place in today’s world.”
Sardesai also referred to a previous tweet where Loomer said that white Europeans created America and not third world Indians. Regarding this tweet, he said that merely expressing regret over these remarks would not suffice, she would have to do more than that.
On one hand, Loomer's appearance at the Conclave gave her a platform to speak on crucial issues regarding India-US relations, and to express her apology over her anti-India tweets. However, on the other hand, many users on social media platforms question the sincerity of her apology. Her appearance has therefore sparked a wider debate on free speech, accountability, and the limits of political commentary in international forums.
(Rh/GP)
Suggested Reading:
.jpg){kind=link}