Who is Laura Loomer? Fringe far-right activist's access to Trump draws outrage from Republicans, including Marjorie Taylor Greene
Laura Loomer, a far-right fringe activist with a history of incendiary rhetoric and promoting radical conspiracy theories, has been in close proximity to former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail this week.
On Tuesday, Loomer was seen getting off Trump’s plane in Philadelphia ahead of the presidential debate. The next day, she accompanied Trump to the ceremonies commemorating 9/11 in New York and in Shanksville, Pa.
While Trump campaign aides have tried to keep Loomer at arm’s length before, his appearances with Loomer this week have upset his Republican allies who question Loomer’s influence over the GOP presidential nominee who’s in a tight race with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.
"Laura’s been a supporter of mine, just like a lot of people are supporters," Trump said Friday when asked about Loomer at a news conference. "She speaks very positively of the campaign. I’m not sure why you asked that question, but Laura is a supporter. I don’t control Laura. Laura has to say what she wants. She’s a free spirit."
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Who is Laura Loomer?
The 31-year-old provocateur is a self-described investigative journalist and social media influencer with 1.2 million followers on X. She has previously been seen at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Fla., and frequently attends his campaign events to support him. Trump has shared several of her videos on Truth Social.
Loomer has worked as an activist and commentator for Project Veritas, a conservative group known for its undercover sting videos, and Alex Jones's Infowars.
Loomer has spewed anti-Muslim rhetoric, once describing herself as a “proud Islamophobe,” and has promoted white nationalism. She has targeted Harris with racist and sexist attacks.
She is also known for spreading false conspiracy theories, which include the recent unsubstantiated claims that Haitian migrants in Ohio are eating residents’ pets, a baseless allegation that Trump elevated during the Sept. 10 presidential debate.
Loomer is also a twice-failed Republican congressional candidate in Florida, having lost races in 2020 and 2022.
Read more from BBC News:Laura Loomer: Who is the conspiracy theorist travelling with Trump?
Loomer’s surprising 9/11 memorial visit
One of the false conspiracy theories Loomer posted last year alleged that the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York City were an “inside job” from the U.S. government.
That’s why Trump received backlash from politicians for bringing her as his guest to the 9/11 ceremonies on Wednesday. Loomer posted photos from Ground Zero and shared a video of Trump meeting with firefighters in Lower Manhattan.
She also accompanied the former president to Shanksville, Pa., the site of where one of the hijacked planes crashed 23 years ago after passengers and the crew fought the hijackers. Loomer posted on X Wednesday afternoon: “NEVER FORGET!”
Loomer told the Associated Press that she didn’t work for the Trump campaign and didn’t respond to a question about her past 9/11 comments.
But just two days after attending the 9/11 ceremonies, Loomer continued to push the false conspiracy theory. On Friday, she wrote on X, “The American people deserve to know the entire truth. Not just what our lying government chose to tell us.”
Read more from the Associated Press:Laura Loomer, who promoted a 9/11 conspiracy theory, joins Trump for ceremonies marking the attacks
Republican allies — including Marjorie Taylor Greene — are warning Trump to stay away from Loomer
In April 2023, the New York Times reported that Trump wanted to add Loomer to his 2024 presidential campaign team. Backlash ensued and the former president backed off his plans to hire her at the time.
A year and a half later, concerns have risen once again about Loomer’s proximity to Trump now that she has been seen in his orbit twice within the past week, particularly among some of his GOP allies who see Loomer as backpedaling Trump's campaign with less than two months until Election Day.
“The history of statements by Ms. Loomer are beyond disturbing,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told the Washington Post on Thursday. “I hope this problem gets resolved. I think we should be talking about things that people are concerned about, and this issue, I think, doesn’t help the cause.”
It has gotten to the point where even far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a staunch Trump ally known for her own incendiary comments, renewed her long-standing beef with Loomer this week. Greene lashed out at her for an “extremely racist” post mocking Harris’s Indian heritage.
Greene told CNN that she advised Trump to distance himself from Loomer, saying, “This is such an important election. I don’t think she has the experience or the right mentality to advise a very important presidential election.”
Read more from CNN: Marjorie Taylor Greene calls far-right activist Laura Loomer’s rhetoric ‘huge problem’ that ‘doesn’t represent MAGA’
What Loomer’s presence means for the Trump campaign
With Loomer back in Trump’s orbit this week, NBC News notes that it could signal his lack of faith in his campaign advisers who previously tried to shield him from her influence in 2023.
“The people that have the authority to stop it are hanging on to their jobs,” a former 2020 Trump campaign official told NBC. “So are you going to pick that fight with him?”
A Republican senator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, was asked by NBC whether Trump aides are enabling Loomer for fear of losing their jobs, “There’s a lot of that in almost every campaign, but definitely this campaign,” he said.
