Who is Laura Loomer? The conspiracy theorist on Trump’s campaign trail

By Michael Baggs (with Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel)

Laura Loomer has become more visible during Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, but who is the ‘journalist’ whose comments are so extreme she’s even been banned from UberEats?

In brief…

Read time: 3 mins

• Laura Loomer is a self-described ‘proud Islamophobe’’ and hardcore Trump fan, who has been embraced by the Republican candidate.
• She has been criticised by other key Republicans for racist comments about Kamala Harris during the 2024 election campaign.
• She has been banned from most social media networks, and even food delivery apps and taxi services for her extreme comments on Muslim people.

What's the story?

If you’ve been following the US election, you might have noticed the name ‘Laura Loomer’ crop up quite a lot lately.

As Donald Trump himself says, Loomer does not work for his campaign, but she has been joining the Republican candidate on his private jet and at his Mar-a-Lago golf resort in recent weeks.

She flew with Trump to his recent debate with Kamala Harris, and was by his side the following day at an event to commemorate the 9/11 attacks –  she previously described the tragic terrorist attack as an "inside job".

Loomer has made a name for herself as a far-right conspiracy theorist (a term she told The News Agents she doesn’t like), who has been embraced by some in the Republican Party, but rejected by others.

During the 2024 election campaign, she has become a more visible presence due to her unwavering support for Trump and his ambitions for a second term in power.

Laura Loomer claims Trump assassination attempt was 'inside job'

Who is Laura Loomer?

Laura Loomer, 31, is Jewish, a white-nationalist and a “proud Islamophobe” from Tucson, Arizona, who describes herself as an "investigative journalist".

Initially, she entered US politics as a Republican candidate herself, running unsuccessfully for  Florida's 21st congressional district in 2020.

She then moved towards right-wing media, becoming a commentator for a number of right-wing and conspiracy theory broadcasters, as well as launching her own channel on Rumble, the platform favoured by influencers such as Andrew Tate.

What does she stand for?

Loomer has spread several conspiracy theories during her time in the spotlight, and in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, said she had “hope” of catching the coronavirus in order to prove it wasn’t a serious health threat.

When she did become ill from Covid, she asked people to “pray” for her and said she was struggling to describe how “brutal” the symptoms were.

She claimed a number of school shootings across America had been staged, said Joe Biden is dying and, throughout September 2024, continued to insist the widely debunked conspiracy theories about Haitian people eating pets in Springfield, Ohio are true, referring to the migrant community as "cannibalistic".

When Emily Maitlis spoke to Loomer at the Republican Convention in July 2024, The News Agents never ran the clip because of concerns over sharing her “batshit crazy conspiracies”.

In the moments beforehand, she told Emily she believed Joe Biden wanted Trump killed, that the Pennsylvania shooting had been an “inside job” and that she didn’t trust anyone.

She has described Muslim people as “savages” and referred to Islam as a “cancer”.

She recently claimed The White House would “smell like curry” if Kamala Harris wins the November election.

Emily describes her comments as “pitiful stuff”.

Loomer was banned from Twitter in 2018 for using racist hate speech on the platform – and she did not take it well.

She handcuffed herself to the front door of the social network’s New York headquarters, yelling at employees they were working for an “evil” company, and saying she would “pee on herself” if necessary.

She was reinstated on X after Elon Musk bought the social media platform.

She's even been banned from using apps such as Uber, due to her extreme comments about Muslim people and communities.

Where does she stand with the Republican Party?

Donald Trump has called her “terrific” and “very special”, and she has spent time with the Republican candidate at his Mar-a-Lago golf resort during his 2024 campaign.

Despite having Trump's support, and ear, Loomer has made enemies within the Republican Party, even among its more right-wing politicians.

Republican representative, Marjorie Taylor-Greene, herself a conspiracy theorist, called Loomer's comments about Kamala Harris and curry "appalling and extremely racist."

“When you fall to the wrong side of Marjorie Taylor Greene, you are really out there,” says Jon Sopel.

JD Vance said he "didn't like" her comments, but stopped short of condemning her words.

Loomer’s comments were also condemned by Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who called her a “toxic presence”. Loomer responded by publicly questioning Graham’s sexuality on X, writing ‘When is Lindsay coming out of the closet? We all know you’re Gay, Lindsey…. And that’s ok”.

Trump distanced himself from Loomer's racist statement, but in a post on his own social media platform, Truth Social, caveated his disapproval with a "but".

"She's a private citizen and longtime supporter," he wrote.

“I disagree with the statements she made but, like the many millions of people who support me, she is tired of watching the Radical Left Marxists and Fascists violently attack and smear me, even to the point of doing anything to stop their Political Opponent, ME!"

“Republicans want Donald Trump to distance himself from her, and he is refusing to do so,” adds Jon.

“She has Donald Trump's ear, and a lot of Republicans are terrified by that.”

Listen in full on The News Agents.

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