In Philadelphia, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have been clashing swords for a few minutes now. Behind the scenes at ABC, the team of the 45th President of the United States is religiously listening to the televised debate, following the exchanges of arms. At their side, a young brunette with pink highlights, prominent cheekbones and a frozen face, goes by the name of Laura Loomer. The influencer with some 1.3 million subscribers on X is neither an employee of the Republican campaign, nor a candidate, nor an elected official. And yet, she is there.
The next day, the intruder is back on the billionaire’s plane, heading to New York. Then to the September 11, 2001 commemoration ceremonies. The height of the paradox. Because if Laura Loomer has made a name for herself for her homophobic, sexist, racist, and anti-Semitic escapades, she is also known for her adherence to numerous conspiracy theories. On her social networks, she has notably stated several times that the World Trade Center attack was ordered from “the inside.”
Republicans’ malaise
Across the Atlantic, the incongruity of the presence at the tribute to the victims of “9/11” of the one that the media describes as a “far-right agitator” raises questions. On the CNN television channel (center-left), the 31-year-old woman retorts: “I don’t understand why there is a problem with my presence at a commemoration of September 11. The people who greeted President Trump at the commemoration were very happy to see me, and they said: ‘Thank you for coming'”.
The Republican side is deflecting the issue. “This day was dedicated to no one other than those who are no longer with us, their families, and the heroes who bravely stood up to save their fellow Americans that day,” eludes in a press release Trump’s campaign team. And for good reason, Laura Loomer is far from achieving consensus within the Grand Old Party (GOP).
Racist remarks against Harris
In recent days, her feud with Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has caused quite a stir. The controversy began with a post by Laura Loomer. On X, the twice unsuccessful candidate for the House of Representatives wrote that if Harris won the election, “the White House would smell like curry,” in reference to the vice president’s origins, whose mother was Indian. These remarks were deemed “appalling and extremely racist” by Marjorie Taylor Greene. Like others in the conservative party, the representative stressed that this attitude “should never have been tolerated” and that it “in no way represented President Trump.”
Already last July, a message posted by Laura Loomer on her networks had caused shock. The influencer, proud to claim to be “Islamophobic” had insulted the African-American Democratic congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who died of cancer, as a “ghetto bitch”, and suggested that she “was going to go to hell”. Thus, the American online media Semafor he wrote: “Even by the standards of the MAGA universe (for Make America Great Again, campaign slogan used by Ronald Reagan during the 1980 presidential campaign and taken up by Donald Trump, Editor’s note) in 2024, Loomer stands out as an extreme figure.”
A liability rather than an asset for Donald Trump?
In the candidate’s entourage, some voices are beginning to be raised, expressing their concern about the influence that the star of the alt-right on the former real estate mogul. Problem: “Whatever barriers the Trump campaign has put in place against him, I don’t think they’re working,” a Republican campaign insider admitted to Semafor.
Some people suspect, for example, Laura Loomer of being behind a fake news brandished by Donald Trump recently. Earlier this week, the self-proclaimed “pro-white nationalist” influencer spread allegations that Haitian migrants were killing and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. Three days later, the same false information was relayed by Donald Trump during the debate.
To our colleagues at Semafora source close to the Republican campaign said he was “100%” concerned that she could aggravate Donald Trump’s weaknesses. The underlying message: accentuate his propensity for conspiracy theories and spreading false information. “I don’t think her presence is helpful, quite the opposite,” Lindsey Graham, a senator from South Carolina and Trump ally, told a HuffPost reporter on Thursday, September 12.
A long-standing proximity
But the reluctance and criticism leveled against the Tucson (Arizona) native by some Republicans, Donald Trump seems to care. Thursday afternoon, the former White House tenant sharing on her social network Truth Social a publication from Laura Loomer’s blog Loomered.com. In this article, the far-right activist attempts to dismantle claims by online media outlet Axios that Kamala Harris has surpassed Donald Trump on social media.
It must be said that the two have known each other and been seeing each other for several years. A Florida resident, Laura Loomer frequently attends events organized at Mar-a-Lago, the billionaire’s vacation spot. Last April, the New York Times revealed that Donald Trump was even considering hiring her for his presidential campaign – an idea he abandoned after some of his supporters objected. In addition, in early 2024, the influencer boarded the Republican primary candidate’s private plane for the first time to accompany him to a rally in Iowa. On stage, the “perfect advisor” according to the humorous phrase of a former Democratic senator, even had the privilege of being greeted by Donald Trump.
“She’s actually very encouraging and a positive person to have around,” a source close to Donald Trump told the online media Semafor, who downplays Laura Loomer’s role in the Republican campaign and particularly in the preparations for the Harris-Trump debate. “No matter what anyone says, she doesn’t interfere,” he insisted. And our colleagues at Semafor to conclude: “If Trump underperformed in the debate, it is not Loomer’s fault in any way.” […] : it is up to the candidate himself.”