Laura Loomer’s “65 Million Meals” Comment: What She Actually Said—and Why It’s So Dangerous

“65 Million Is Not a Joke.” Loomer’s alligator comment, explained simply.

Note: This piece is an abridged, reader-friendly version of a longer, in-depth analysis I wrote on Loomer’s “65 million meals” comment, the 14th Amendment, and the normalization of eliminationist rhetoric. If you’d like the full, detailed breakdown with historical context and citations, you can read it here: Read the Full Deep Dive

Far-right activist Laura Loomer, a known Trump ally, posted this on X (Twitter) on June 30:

“Alligator lives matter. The good news is, alligators are guaranteed at least 65 million meals if we get started now.”

Let’s be clear about what she actually said:

• Loomer did not explicitly mention Latinos or immigrants.

• She did reference “65 million meals” in the context of people being fed to alligators.

• There are approximately 65 million Latino/Hispanic people in the U.S. per the Census Bureau.

• There are not 65 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. (the estimate is around 11 million).

In other words, while Loomer avoided explicitly saying “Latinos,” she used a number that only makes sense if you interpret it as referring to all Latinos living in the United States. This is not a random big number; it aligns precisely with the Latino population.

Why This Matters

Loomer’s defenders are already saying, “She never said ALL Latinos!” or “It’s just a joke.” Let’s address these talking points directly:

1️⃣ “She didn’t say ‘Latinos’.”

Correct, she didn’t say it explicitly. But the number she used (65 million) points directly to the Latino population. There is no plausible way to interpret this as referring to “illegal immigrants” or “criminals,” since no such group approaches that size. This is a thinly veiled genocidal fantasy, and pretending otherwise is gaslighting.

2️⃣ “She meant criminals or illegals.”

She never mentioned crime or undocumented status. She simply said 65 million people should be fed to alligators. There are not 65 million undocumented immigrants. If you use that number, you are effectively talking about all Latinos.

3️⃣ “It was just a joke.”

Joking about genocide is not harmless. Historically, calls for violence have often been disguised as humor to normalize cruelty. Dehumanizing a group by calling them “meals” for animals primes people to tolerate inhumane policies and violence.

4️⃣ “She’s a fringe provocateur, who cares?”

Loomer is not irrelevant. She has been described as a “close advisor and confidant” to Trump, with enough influence to join him on Air Force One and reportedly push for the firing of officials she disliked. Her rhetoric is amplified within MAGA circles and has real-world consequences.

Why Progressive Messaging Is Correct but Incomplete

Outlets like Occupy Democrats immediately framed Loomer’s post as advocating for the extermination of all Latinos. They are correct in interpreting the meaning of her statement but did not highlight that Loomer never said “Latinos” explicitly. This leaves an opening for bad-faith actors to deflect and claim “misrepresentation.”

We should acknowledge this omission while refusing to be gaslit:

• Yes, she didn’t say “Latinos,” but the 65 million figure is unmistakable.

• Yes, it was phrased as a “joke,” but genocide jokes aren’t funny.

• No, we will not let extremists normalize hate speech targeting millions.

The Stakes Are Clear

When a prominent MAGA figure jokes about feeding 65 million people to alligators, it’s not “edgy humor”—it is eliminationist rhetoric targeting a marginalized community.

It dehumanizes people, normalizes cruelty, and signals a willingness to treat an entire ethnic group as expendable.

And it is not just about Laura Loomer.

It’s about the normalization of dehumanization and cruelty under the MAGA movement, and the willingness of many to look away or “wink wink” it away as a joke.

Bottom Line

Loomer’s words were:

“Alligator lives matter. The good news is, alligators are guaranteed at least 65 million meals if we get started now.”

She meant what she said. She said it publicly. She wants you to flinch, normalize it, and move on.

We will not.

We see it. We name it. We reject it.

Because human beings are not meals.

Sources:

• U.S. Census Bureau: 65 million Hispanic/Latino population

• Estimated undocumented immigrant population (~11 million): Pew Research Center

• Loomer’s original tweet (June 30, 2025)