Donald Trump has come under from within the Republican party over his continued support for controversial personality, Laura Loomer.
Loomer was present at the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the United States last week where Trump was also present with a small entourage of his inner circle.
September 11 held particular significance for Laura Loomer to be counted as a travel companion. Just last year, she posted a video on social media advancing the widely debunked conspiracy theory that the World Trade Center attacks were an “inside job.”
This baseless claim, which continues to distress the families of victims and survivors, remains pervasive in certain circles. Loomer’s history of anti-Muslim social media posts led to her being banned from Twitter, a ban that was lifted only after billionaire Elon Musk acquired the platform, now rebranded as X, and reinstated her account.
Problematic history
Laura Loomer is a far-right political activist, conspiracy theorist, and internet personality. She was the Republican candidate for Florida’s 21st congressional district in the 2020 U.S. House of Representatives elections, where she lost to Democrat Lois Frankel. In 2022, she ran in the Republican primary for Florida’s 11th congressional district, but was defeated by incumbent Daniel Webster. Loomer has described herself as “pro-white nationalist” and a “proud Islamophobe.”
Loomer’s notoriety stems from being banned from multiple social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as various services such as payment processors and rideshare apps. These bans were largely due to violations related to hate speech and misinformation. She has also been removed from events and had her press credentials revoked for harassment and disturbances.
In 2015, Loomer secretly filmed conversations with Barry University officials discussing her proposal for a club supporting ISIS, which led to her suspension and legal action from a professor. This incident was part of her involvement with Project Veritas, known for its undercover investigations. She also drew attention for wearing a burqa to a polling station on the day of the 2016 presidential election as a stunt, and for placing a burqa on the Fearless Girl statue during an anti-Sharia rally in 2017.
On January 14, 2019, Laura Loomer convinced several men, whom she claimed were undocumented, to join her in jumping the fence at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home in Napa, California. The group set up a tent on Pelosi’s lawn to protest immigration policies. While police eventually removed them, no arrests were made.
Just days later, Loomer attempted to disrupt the 2019 Women’s March in Washington, D.C., by interrupting a speaker on stage. She appeared onstage, labeling the Women’s March as a “Nazi” organization, and as security escorted her off, she shouted, “What about the Jews?”
Later that same month, on January 30, 2019, Loomer and a group of others scaled the wall surrounding the California Governor’s Mansion in Sacramento as part of her continued protests.
On COVID-19
Laura Loomer downplayed the seriousness of COVID-19 in December 2020, writing on social media, “I hope I get COVID just so I can prove to people I’ve had bouts of food poisoning that are more serious and life-threatening than a hyped-up virus.” However, in September 2021, Loomer announced that she had contracted the virus and was struggling with symptoms. She revealed on Telegram that she was in significant pain and asked her followers to pray for her, despite using various treatments, including some that had been proven ineffective against the virus.
Even after her experience with COVID-19, Loomer continued to assert that vaccines were “unsafe and ineffective” and declared she would not get vaccinated in the future.
On school shootings
Laura Loomer has propagated several false claims regarding significant events. She falsely stated that the February 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and the May 2018 shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, were staged, and also claimed that crisis actors were involved in the Santa Fe incident. Additionally, Loomer promoted the unfounded assertion that the perpetrator of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting was affiliated with ISIS.
In July 2018, Loomer inaccurately described a man arrested in South Dakota with bomb-making materials and illegal weapons as a “leftist antifa terrorist.” However, the man’s social media activity and his brother’s statements indicated he was a conservative who disliked both liberals and Antifa.
During the October 2018 U.S. mail bombing attempts, Loomer falsely labeled the attacks as a “false flag” operation orchestrated by Democrats.
In 2023, she made another baseless claim, accusing Casey DeSantis, the wife of presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, of exaggerating her breast cancer diagnosis to garner sympathy and boost her husband’s campaign.
Problems for Trump
Since the 9/11 event Trump has started distancing himself from Loomer after backlash from the party.
