‘A Proud Islamophobe’: How Far-Rightist Laura Loomer Brought Criticism to Trump

The presence of far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer alongside Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on his recent campaign trail has raised questions about her influence over him.

Although Trump has denied knowledge of the controversial conspiracy theories promoted by Loomer, 31, her growing presence in his inner circle has raised concerns, even within the Republican Party.

The far-right activist has recently made controversial statements about Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, the 9/11 attacks, immigrants and Islam.

Last year, The New York Times reported that Trump had expressed interest in hiring her for his campaign, only to back down after his top aides expressed concern that she could harm his election efforts.

Conspiracy Theorist 

Laura Loomer’s repeated appearances alongside Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during his election campaign last week have sparked controversy in American political circles.

Loomer frequently attends events supporting Trump and has previously been seen at his Florida residence.

Earlier this year, she traveled on his plane to Iowa, where the former president greeted her on stage at an event.

Loomer is known for her far-right rhetoric and spreading conspiracy theories, including that the 9/11 attacks were an inside job carried out by the US government.

According to the New York Times, Loomer attended the September 11 anniversary events with Trump, raising eyebrows in some media outlets and drawing criticism from both parties, especially due to her previous statements regarding the terrorist attacks.

Loomer was backstage at the September 10 debate between Trump and Harris before traveling with him the next day to New York and Pennsylvania, according to Axios.

One of the most striking moments of the debate came when Trump repeated claims during the debate that illegal immigrants from Haiti were eating pets in a small Ohio town.

After being debunked, Trump explained that he was repeating claims he had heard on TV, but that the baseless theory had been aired by Loomer just the day before the debate.

While Loomer’s relationship with Trump is unclear, her post and presence in Philadelphia have led some Republicans to blame her for the former president making the baseless claim during the debate with Harris.

On September 9, Loomer sparked a new racist tweet, attacking Harris, who has an Indian mother, and saying that the White House would smell like curry if she won.

In contrast, the White House recently condemned Trump for his association with far-right conspiracy theorist Loomer.

“No leader should ever associate with someone who spreads this kind of ugliness, this kind of racist poison,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Loomer has also previously claimed that US President Joe Biden was behind the first assassination attempt on Trump in July.

She rose to prominence as a far-right figure after calling herself pro-white nationalism and described America as a white Judeo-Christian ethnostate destroyed by diversity.

After Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a prominent figure in the Congressional Black Caucus, died of cancer in July, Loomer posted online that she was going to hell.

Loomer gained prominence in the MAGA movement by confronting Democrats on camera with aggressive questions that they would normally refuse to answer.

After ambushing several Muslim candidates in Michigan and Minnesota, including Ilhan Omar, the Democratic Party began to recognize her and banish her from its events.

She has also proven to be a polarizing figure among Republicans themselves, using the same tactics against them if she believes they oppose Trump.

She has called Florida Governor Ron DeSantis an absentee governor who betrayed President Trump by running against him. She has also feuded with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling her a traitor.

Trump Supporter

Born in Arizona in 1993, Laura Loomer has worked as an investigative journalist, activist, and commentator for organizations including Project Veritas and Alex Jones’ InfoWars.

In 2020, she ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida — with Trump’s support — but lost to Democrat Lois Frankel.

She tried again two years later, when she unsuccessfully ran to unseat Rep. Daniel Webster in a different Florida district’s Republican primary.

Now, she is known for her outspoken support for Trump and her promotion of a long line of conspiracy theories, including claims that Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is not black and that the son of billionaire George Soros has been sending mysterious letters calling for Trump’s assassination.

In addition to her claims that the 2018 school massacres in Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe, Texas, were staged.

Loomer is a proponent of other conspiracy theories, particularly those involving big pharma, which she accuses of inflating drug prices. She also spreads anti-vaccine rhetoric.

Loomer is also known for her anti-Muslim rhetoric, having once described herself as a proud Islamophobe.

She has also made frequent racist anti-Islam statements, even calling Islam a cancer in society, according to the Washington Post.

Loomer claims that her anti-Muslim rhetoric, among other alleged violations of the terms of service, has led to her being banned from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Uber and PayPal.

In 2018, after her Twitter account was banned for anti-Muslim content, she chained herself outside the company’s New York headquarters wearing a yellow Star of David, a controversial reference to the Nazis’ infliction of violence on Jews during the Holocaust in World War II.

Loomer’s account was restored after billionaire Elon Musk acquired Twitter (now X), and she has since built a following of more than 1.2 million people on the platform.

Her social media accounts are filled with inflammatory posts against migrants, including one praising the deaths of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.

Republican Concerns

Loomer’s frequent appearances alongside Trump during his campaign have sparked a wave of concern among his top supporters, several of whom have publicly expressed concerns that the alliance could undermine Trump’s chances against Harris.

An anonymous source close to the Trump campaign said they are 100% concerned about Loomer’s closeness to Trump.

In an NBC News report in January, a Trump aide said of Loomer, “Everyone who works with him thinks she’s a liability.”

On her part, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene strongly condemned Loomer’s curry-smelling comment, calling it “appalling, extremely racist, and did not represent who we are as Republicans.”

Greene, a Georgia Republican and staunch Trump supporter, also questioned Loomer’s competence, adding, “I don’t think she has the technical expertise or the mentality to be advising on a very important presidential election.”

Observers have warned that Loomer’s rhetoric about Harris could hurt Trump’s standing with women and critical voters, particularly in Georgia and North Carolina, which have large Indian-American and Hindu populations.

“The history of statements by Loomer are beyond disturbing. I hope this problem gets resolved,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told the Washington Post.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis also posted on social media that Loomer is “a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans.”

However, another source noted that Loomer had not interfered with debate preparations and was a positive person.

After fellow Republicans criticized her presence at his side, former President Donald Trump praised Laura Loomer, but later said he disagreed with some of her statements.

On X, Loomer revealed that she was working independently to help Trump, whom she referred to as the last hope for the American nation.

In the wake of the October 7 events in Gaza, Loomer and other right-wing influencers promoted a false narrative claiming that October 13, 2023, would be Global Jihad Day.

Those allegations led a 71-year-old landlord in Illinois to attempt to murder a Muslim tenant and stab her 6-year-old son to death.

After a fatal car crash in Long Beach, California, on Oct. 14, Loomer said the incident was Islamic terrorism, claiming police had a gag order.

Police later said there was no indication the incident was an act of terrorism and was not related to the current violence in Israel.