The unofficial adviser to President Donald Trump chastised Army Secretary Dan Driscoll over a social media post recognizing Florent Groberg, a decorated soldier who backed Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Far-right political activist Laura Loomer has opened an extraordinary new line of attack on the Pentagon, sharply criticizing Army Secretary Dan Driscoll for allowing the service to acknowledge the battlefield valor of Medal of Honor recipient Florent Groberg, who suffered catastrophic injuries saving the lives of fellow soldiers targeted by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan.
Loomer, writing on social media, questioned why the Army had spotlighted Groberg in a recent post marking the incident’s anniversary. Groberg, she suggested, was undeserving of such recognition because he delivered remarks, as a private citizen, at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and was not “US born.”
“There are probably so many people who the Army could honor who have received the Medal of Honor,” Loomer, a provocateur who, unofficially, has advised President Donald Trump on personnel matters, wrote in her post on X. “But who did the Army choose to honor instead on their social media page under the Trump admin?” Under Driscoll, she continued, “there have been several instances of either him, or the Army promoting anti-Trump Leftists on their official social media channels.”
The Medal of Honor is the United States’ highest recognition for combat valor, and the Defense Department has long celebrated the courage and sacrifice demonstrated by the award’s recipients, putting Loomer’s criticism deeply at odds with one of the more sacrosanct aspects of American military culture. Yet given her considerable influence and frequent visits with Trump — she has taken credit for the administration’s ouster of several appointees whom she branded insufficiently loyal — Loomer’s broadside late Friday night appears certain to force an uncomfortable discussion at the Pentagon and, potentially, within the White House.
Spokespeople for Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, both Army veterans like Groberg, did not respond to requests for comment. The White House also did not respond.
An Army official, speaking on the condition of anonymity citing the issue’s sensitivity, said Groberg is a “national hero” and one in a long series of soldiers who will be featured online by the service this year as it celebrates its 250th birthday. Loomer’s attack, the official said, is “despicable.”
“The Army is not going to check the political affiliation of our soldiers before we recognize them,” the official said. “A man or woman serving is not a Democrat or Republican, they are an American. Their political affiliation has nothing to do with their service.”
Loomer’s swipe at Driscoll and Groberg coincided with the anniversary of the suicide bombing on Aug. 8, 2012, that claimed the lives of four men: Army Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin J. Griffin, 45; Army Maj. Thomas E. Kennedy, 35; Air Force Maj. Walter D. Gray, 38; and Foreign Service officer Ragaei Abdelfattah, 43. Groberg, then 29, shoved the attacker away moments before the explosives detonated, preventing far greater carnage. He suffered life-altering injuries to his left leg, and several other soldiers were wounded.
Groberg declined an interview request but voiced amazement online at Loomer’s criticism.
“Thirteen years ago today is my Alive Day, the day I nearly lost my life, and four of my brothers, including three Army leaders, never came home,” he wrote. “I’ve served under presidents from both parties and will always honor my oath to this country. Yes, I spoke for 60 seconds at the DNC when asked about service and sacrifice, not politics. For me, 8/8 isn’t about parties. It’s about the lives we lost.”
During his convention speech, Groberg said he was not speaking as a Republican or a Democrat, but as a “proud immigrant to this country, a proud veteran of the United States Army, and a proud recipient of our nation’s highest military honor.” Groberg, who was born in France and later became a U.S. citizen, recognized his fellow service members who were killed during the attack. He said, too, that when Hillary Clinton’s moment arrived, she would be “ready to serve, ready to lead and ready to defend you.” Trump defeated Clinton in the election that November.
Groberg, asked previously about his decision to appear at the Democratic convention, said he informed organizers he is a Republican.
“I saw an opportunity for me to go in, not as a Republican, not as a Democrat, not as a political figure, but as a veteran. As an immigrant. As an American,” he told The Washington Post in 2016. He said then that he had a “God-given right” to share who he would be voting for, and that he did not judge anyone who voted for Trump.
“I made a choice,” he said. “I stood up. I knew I would take the heat. But guess what? I still go to sleep at night like a baby. I’m okay with it.”
In an interview Saturday, Loomer defended her criticism of Driscoll and Groberg, telling The Post that no one from the White House or Hegseth’s office had contacted her and asked her to take down her posts. She said the Army’s choice to recognize Groberg was ideologically at odds with the Trump administration.
“It is very important that the secretary of the Army does not push out Democratic propaganda,” Loomer said. She added that people can take her criticism “however they want. I just laid out the facts,” and said she thought she had been respectful.
“Well,” she said, “I said, ‘Thank you for your service.’”
Hegseth’s silence, in particular, is notable. Unlike other defense secretaries, he’s been extremely active on social media and quick to publicly rebut perceived critics or slights. He also has repeatedly called for a return of what he calls the “warrior ethos” to the Pentagon, celebrating those who prepare for combat and serve with distinction in it.
He and Loomer spoke privately in recent weeks, Hegseth’s spokesman, Sean Parnell, told CNN recently. The conversation came as she has turned her attention to perceived disloyalty to Trump within the Defense Department.
Driscoll’s name has surfaced as a possible replacement for Hegseth if the defense secretary were to leave the Cabinet post. Hegseth has faced frequent questions about his longtime viability in the role amid allegations of mismanagement and infighting on his team at the Pentagon, but he has retained the president’s support.
Loomer said the social media post about Groberg marks at least the third time this year that the Army has highlighted people who have opposed Trump. She cited Driscoll’s show of gratitude to Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Virginia) for attending the Army’s 250th birthday celebration. Vindman, a retired Army officer, was a central figure in Trump’s first impeachment.
Loomer also noted the Army’s announcement that retired Army officer Jennifer Easterly, who served in the Biden administration as the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, would join the faculty at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Driscoll revoked Easterly’s appointment last month, after Loomer and other critics panned the decision, and said he would direct a review of West Point hiring practices.
Others who have served under Trump defended Groberg and questioned Loomer’s understanding of the military’s nonpartisan culture.
“One of the first things my drill sergeant told us at Army Basic Training in 1983 was, ‘You all bleed Army green now — no one cares about the color of your skin, where you came from, or what religion you are,’” Chris Miller, who served as acting defense secretary during the first Trump administration, said in a text message. “He didn’t have to add, ‘or your political affiliation’ because it was taken for granted that our oath was to the Constitution and not any political party or person.”
Miller added: “To have an agent provocateur, seemingly lacking any understanding of the appropriate role of the military in America’s constitutional republic, cast aspersions on Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll’s righteous effort to honor the courage and sacrifice of all Army Medal of Honor recipients is an abomination and disreputable.”
Robert Wilkie, who served as Veterans Affairs secretary during the first Trump administration, said in a statement to The Post that the Medal of Honor “knows no political affiliation.”
“I am a Trump supporter and I am the son of a distinguished combat officer,” Wilkie said. “My service was modest. I was raised to believe that that medal is sacred. No matter what the holder believes or where he came from, he is worthy of the respect and thanks of all Americans.”
Dakota Meyer, a Medal of Honor recipient and friend of several Trump administration appointees, called Loomer out in a social media post of his own on Saturday. While the medal is apolitical, he said, a person wearing it does not have to be.
“If anyone has earned the right to free speech or to have an opinion it’s a man who threw himself in front of a suicide bomber to save lives,” Meyer wrote to Loomer. “What have you done?”
During the first Trump administration, Groberg visited the White House multiple times for ceremonies recognizing other service members who received the Medal of Honor. Trump thanked him directly for attending, according to transcripts from those events.
During the Biden administration, Groberg was appointed to the American Battle Monuments Commission, an independent agency that oversees U.S. military cemeteries and monuments overseas. He has often voiced a need for Americans to stand together and remember U.S. troops killed in combat. Groberg has been retained by the Trump administration on the commission, according to its website.
Groberg also visited the Pentagon recently and met with Hegseth in his office. Groberg, whonow works at an aerospace investment firm, voiced appreciation for the opportunity on LinkedIn.
“Honored to meet with the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth this week for a meaningful conversation about strengthening our defense industrial base and our troops,” Groberg said. “We discussed the importance of competition, resilience, and innovation across the national security ecosystem. Grateful for the time, leadership, and shared commitment to building a more agile and prepared force.”
When some criticized Groberg’s decision to meet with Hegseth, the Medal of Honor recipient defended his choice and said that it appeared Hegseth has veterans’ best interests at heart.
