Former president Donald Trump has been making headlines this week as he tours the country with far-right activist Laura Loomer. Her presence has left some of Trump’s Republican allies uneasy, given Loomer’s history of spreading conspiracy theories and making inflammatory remarks.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) expressed his discomfort with Loomer’s association with Trump, stating, “The history of statements by Ms. Loomer are beyond disturbing. 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.”
Loomer accompanied Trump during his stops on Wednesday to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, standing close by as Trump, alongside Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), met with firefighters in New York City. Her involvement in these events is particularly controversial, as Loomer had previously posted a video on X claiming the 9/11 attacks were an “inside job.”
Adding to the tension, Loomer recently made a racially charged comment about Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Indian descent. Loomer wrote that if Harris were to win, the White House “will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center.” She has also made the baseless claim that Harris is a “drug using prostitute.”
In addition to accompanying Trump in New York, Loomer was seen arriving in Philadelphia before Trump’s debate with Harris. Following their time in New York, she also joined him on a trip to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, for further 9/11 commemorations.
While Loomer insists she doesn’t officially work for Trump, the campaign has been evasive about why she has been traveling with him. This has led to increased scrutiny from both Democrats and some Republicans. Trump’s history of promoting conspiracy theories, such as the false claim that former president Barack Obama was not born in the United States, adds another layer of concern. Loomer, in turn, has been a frequent proponent of her own conspiracy theories, including claiming that the 2018 school shootings in Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe, Texas, were staged.
Despite the criticism, Loomer has doubled down, saying, “I stand by everything I have said.” Loomer, who has run for Congress twice, gained attention with her anti-Muslim rhetoric and even called herself a “proud Islamophobe.” She has faced backlash from various social media platforms and payment services, including Facebook, Instagram, Lyft, Uber, Venmo, PayPal, GoFundMe, and Cash App, which have all banned her due to her inflammatory comments.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a staunch Trump ally but also a long-time critic of Loomer, voiced her concerns this week, saying that Loomer’s “rhetoric and hateful tone” pose a significant problem for the Republican Party. Greene explained that Loomer’s behavior does not reflect the values of the MAGA movement or the Republican Party as a whole. “I don’t think she has the experience or the right mentality to advise a very important presidential election,” Greene said.
In response to the criticism from Graham and Greene, Loomer quickly took to social media to lash out at both of them. Meanwhile, the Harris campaign did not comment on Loomer’s connection to Trump. However, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the association, saying, “No leader should ever associate with someone who spreads this kind of ugliness, this kind of racist poison.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) also weighed in, criticizing Loomer’s presence at Trump’s 9/11 memorial events. He said her attendance should “shock the conscience of all decent Americans,” describing it as “shocking and irresponsible,” especially given the solemn nature of the occasion and the sacrifices made by first responders and others who died during the attacks.
Despite the backlash, Trump’s campaign has not addressed Loomer’s involvement directly. Instead, they sought to focus on the significance of the 9/11 anniversary. Campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt remarked, “The day wasn’t about anyone other than the souls who are no longer with us, their families, and the heroes who courageously stepped up to save their fellow Americans on that fateful day.”
Graham, still unsure about Loomer’s exact role in Trump’s campaign, voiced his concerns about her past statements, calling some of them “cruel,” especially in reference to her personal attacks on Claudia Conway, daughter of former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway.
Loomer initially gained notoriety as part of the undercover investigative group Project Veritas during Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. She later left the group and began staging her own provocative stunts, such as chaining herself to Twitter’s New York headquarters in protest and leading undocumented immigrants to trespass on a property owned by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Loomer has also unsuccessfully run for Congress twice, both times in Florida. Her provocative views, including her anti-Muslim rhetoric, have led to her being banned from multiple platforms. Recently, Loomer has positioned herself as a vocal supporter of Trump during the 2024 Republican primary, using her platform to attack one of Trump’s main rivals, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. She accused DeSantis and his wife of using Mrs. DeSantis’s breast cancer diagnosis to garner voter sympathy.
Loomer describes herself as an investigative journalist working on behalf of Trump’s reelection. “I’m happy to dedicate all my time to helping Trump because if Trump doesn’t get back in, I don’t have anything,” she told The Washington Post in March. Loomer revealed that she had been in talks with Trump’s team about working on his reelection campaign earlier in 2023.
Although Trump reportedly considered hiring Loomer, a fierce backlash from his loyalists, including Greene, ultimately prevented it. Still, Trump has maintained a close relationship with Loomer, even inviting her to his private balcony at his Bedminster golf course and allowing her to travel on his plane during the Republican primary. At a rally in Iowa, Trump called Loomer a “very important person, politically,” and at a fundraiser in March, he praised her as a “woman with courage.”
Trump continues to share Loomer’s content on his Truth Social platform. She was also the first person to introduce Trump to the idea of questioning Harris’s racial identity, circulating a graphic comparing headlines about Harris’s Indian-American and African-American heritage. This narrative was later echoed by Trump at a National Association of Black Journalists conference.
Loomer has also spread the unfounded conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and eating pets, a claim Trump repeated during his debate with Harris. Loomer’s attacks on Harris over her Indian heritage come at a time when other Indian Americans, such as Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, are also playing prominent roles in the presidential race.
The controversial remarks have drawn condemnation from various Republicans, including Greene, who labeled Loomer’s post about Harris “appalling and extremely racist.” Graham also condemned Loomer’s comments, expressing concerns about their political impact, particularly in states like Georgia, which has a significant Indian American population.
