Republicans are concerned about a new ally getting close to former President Donald Trump as he campaigns for another term in the White House, per reports. Her name is Laura Loomer.
Who is Laura Loomer?
On X, here she has more than 1 million followers, 31-year-old Loomer describes herself as an “investigative journalist” and she runs the “LOOMERED” website. She frequently posts Pro-Trump content.
The New York Times describes her as a “far-right activist with a history of expressing bigoted views and a knack for generating publicity.”
According to the Times, Loomer secretly filmed a video of university officials discussing her proposal to create a club for students who support the Islamic State, or ISIS, while at Barry University near Miami, Fla. It was then picked up by the conservative group Project Veritas, and she worked there for several years.
In 2020, Loomer ran for Congress in Florida’s 21st District as a Republican. Trump congratulated her when she won the Republican primary, but she lost the general election to Democrat Lois Frankel. Loomer then lost a primary election to fellow Republican Daniel Webster in 2022.
Loomer has made news for stunts such as interrupting a Shakespeare production in Central Park to yell pro-Trump comments and calling the religion Islam a “cancer.” She’s also made claims that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were an “inside job.”
BBC News described Loomer as a “conspiracy theorist.”
How did Loomer get involved with Trump?
Following her foray into politics, Loomer has been seen several times at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate Palm Beach, Fla. The Times said she has been seen there at least nine times since January 2021, when President Joe Biden took office and when rioters stormed the Capitol in an effort to prevent Biden from taking office.
In 2023 she was almost hired by the Trump campaign, but news coverage and pushback prevented it. This year she flew with the 78-year-old candidate to the Iowa Caucuses. Most recently, she traveled on Trump’s plane to Philadelphia for the presidential debate. During the debate, ABC News moderators pushed back on his claims that immigrants in Ohio were eating pets.
BBC News reported that Loomer aired the rumor just a day before the debate and they were also shared by his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
Though it has since been debunked, Loomer again referenced the false claims in a Saturday X post.
After the debate Tuesday, Loomer also traveled with Trump to New York City for a 9/11 commemoration event Wednesday. Some criticized her attendance there in light of her previous comments about the attacks.
Per a Saturday Daily Beast report, Loomer has threatened to sue comedian Bill Maher for insinuating that she and Trump are having an affair. Trump is married to former First Lady Melania Trump, though some of his recent legal battles indicate that he had an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels during his relationship with Melania.
Who is concerned about Loomer?
While Trump is known for his unfiltered comments and for his continued insistence on sharing unfounded claims about election fraud, even his own team is wary of Loomer’s rhetoric.
“Several people close to the former president say Loomer has contributed to some of the unseemly conspiracy theories Trump has elevated since Harris replaced Biden on the ticket, a change that has left the GOP nominee increasingly unsettled by the political landscape he now faces,” CNN reported this week.
Semafor also reported that Republicans are concerned about Loomer getting close to Trump, and the Associated Press said she has been concerning to some of Trump’s top supporters. Even controversial Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene – who is herself known for blasting conspiracy theories – has called one of Loomer’s posts “appalling and extremely racist.”
In a Friday X post, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said: “Laura Loomer is a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans. A DNC plant couldn't do a better job than she is doing to hurt President Trump's chances of winning re-election. Enough.”
“Trump’s very public embrace of such a divisive figure in the critical final two months of the campaign drew concern, amping up speculation that her presence was a sign that the campaign was pivoting to the right at a moment when it needed to appeal to independent voters,” said The New York Times this week.
As for Trump, it appears that he’s been trying to distance himself from Loomer. NBC News reported that he answered questions about her conspiracy theories and racist remarks Friday during an event in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
“I don’t control Laura. Laura — she’s a, she’s a free spirit. Well, I don’t know. I mean, look, I can’t tell Laura what to do,” Trump said. He also noted that Loomer has been a supporter of the campaign.
In a Friday Truth Social post, Trump stressed that Loomer doesn’t work for his campaign.
“I disagree with the statements she made but, like the many millions of people who support me, she is tired of watching the Radical Left Marxists and Fascists violently attack and smear me, even to the point of doing anything to stop their Political Opponent, ME!”