Far-right activist Laura Loomer has been at former President Trump's side this week as he campaigns, though the GOP candidate claimed Friday he's unaware of the conspiracy theories she's promoted.
Why it matters: Members of his own party are sounding alarms over Loomer's increasing presence in Trump's inner circle, concerned it's a sign he's moving deeper into a world of conspiracies and racism, Axios' Sophia Cai and Alex Thompson report.
Relationship with Trump
Loomer, who said this week she doesn't work for Trump, is a frequent guest of Mar-a-Lago and was backstage at Tuesday's presidential debate.
- She traveled with him the following day to New York and Pennsylvania.
What she's saying: "I'm simply a ride or die supporter of President Trump," Loomer said on X Friday. "I don't want anything in return. I just want to see him win."
- She added that she's been a fan of Trump's since she was working "undercover" in Hillary Clinton's campaign to expose "all types of dirty deeds."
- Loomer did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Trump was asked about Loomer and his relationship with her several times during a press conference in California on Friday, and said she's a "supporter" of him and his campaign.
- "I don't control Laura," he said. "Laura has to say what she wants. She's a free spirit."
- Pressed on whether he's aware of the conspiracy theories she espouses, he said "No, I don't know that much about it. ... I know she's a big fan of the campaign."
- He said in a post on his Truth Social platform later Friday: "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."
Conspiracy theories and racist commentary
Loomer, who has described herself as a "proud Islamophobe," has called the 9/11 attacks an "inside job." She also falsely claimed President Biden was behind the assassination attempt against Trump in July.
- This week, she peddled another baseless conspiracy theory on Haitian immigrants eating pets — a claim that Trump has also raised.
- Loomer, who has 1.2 million followers on X, also posted on the social media site saying if Vice President Harris is elected president, "the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center."
Rise to prominence as provocateur
Loomer has worked for conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars media platform, among other right-wing outlets.
- In one 2015 stunt, she posed as a Hillary Clinton supporter to try to entrap campaign workers into accepting illegal cash donations.
- Her social media presence is full of inflammatory posts about immigrants and other groups, including one celebrating the deaths of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. She denies being a racist, though she has described herself as pro-white nationalism.
- Her history of false claims include that multiple school shootings were staged.
- Getting banned from social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram — for reasons including violating policies on hateful conduct and speech and for posting misinformation — helped build her notoriety, even as it cost her large followings on those platforms.
Failed races for Congress
Loomer is a twice-failed congressional candidate in Florida.
- She ran in 2020 as the GOP nominee for the state's 21st congressional district and again in the Republican primary for the 11th congressional district in 2022.