Laura Loomer knocks Medal of Honor recipient in new attack on Army

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.

August 9, 2025 at 5:45 p.m. EDT Yesterday at 5:45 p.m. EDT


Far-right activist Laura Loomer. (Jacob M. Langston/For The Washington Post)

By Dan Lamothe and Tara Copp

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.”

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Alex Horton and Noah Robertson contributed to this report.