Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump’s proximity to Laura Loomer, a self-styled investigative journalist and far-right activist, has raised concern within the party. Grand Old Party (GOP) insiders are reportedly unhappy about Loomer travelling on Trump’s jet to attend the presidential debate (which took place on September 11) and a 9/11 attacks memorial service. Why are Republican leaders concerned about Loomer? How did she become a member of Trump’s inner circle? Here is a look. First, who is Laura Loomer? Loomer, 31, is a far-right conspiracy theorist and internet personality. Over the years, she has made racist, Islamophobic, homophobic, and sexist comments. Loomer has described Islam as a “cancer,” used the hashtag “#proudislamophobe”, and once seemed to celebrate the deaths of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, according to a report by The New York Times. In 2018, X (then known as Twitter) banned her for frequently posting anti-Muslim. To protest the ban, “Loomer handcuffed herself to the company’s headquarters in New York and wore a yellow Star of David similar to those Nazis forced Jews to wear during the Holocaust (Ms Loomer is Jewish),” The NYT report said. After Elon Musk bought the company, her account was reinstated and currently, Loomer has 1.2 million followers on the site. Loomer’s antics date back to 2015 when as a senior at Barry University near Miami, she secretly filmed university officials discussing her plan to start a club for students who support the Islamic State, or ISIS. The undercover video was picked up by Project Veritas, a conservative media organisation, and made news. Loomer went on to work with the organisation for several years. Her claim to fame, however, came in 2017 after she interrupted a play of Julius Caesar, protesting the resemblance between the character and Trump. How did Loomer become a member of Trump’s inner circle? In 2020, when Loomer won the Republican primaries for congressional elections — she ran for Congress in Florida’s 21st District — Trump congratulated her on X. She, however, lost the general election. Two years later, she challenged Representative Daniel Webster, a Florida Republican, in a primary but lost, according to The NYT report. Since 2021, Loomer has been to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida at least nine times, the report added. In 2023, she was almost hired as a member of Trump’s presidential campaign. The plan was foiled due to pushback from within the Republican Party. Loomer has maintained that while she does not work for the political operation, she believes Trump deserves her “unconditional loyalty.” Why are Republicans concerned? Trump’s embrace of Loomer this late into his campaign has caused many GOP insiders to be concerned about the direction the campaign is taking. According to NBC News, some allies are saying that Trump’s ties with Loomer “could cost him votes in key battleground states.” Loomer caught flak two days before the presidential debate for posting a racist comment on Vice President Kamala Harris’s Indian heritage. She said the White House would “smell like curry” if Harris was elected President. This drew the ire of Republicans across the board. Long-time Trump loyalist and far-right politician Marjorie Taylor-Greene on Thursday (September 12) condemned Loomer’s "curry" remark, saying she had “concerns about her rhetoric and her hateful tone” and her comments did not represent the Trump campaign or “MAGA as a whole.” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a moderate politician, described Loomer as “really toxic.” GOP nominee for Vice-President, JD Vance, who is married to an Indian himself sought to distance himself from Loomer and her remark. He maintained that he “does not agree” with her comments while seeking to stay focussed on “the policy and the issues.”
