Why is Laura Loomer too controversial even for Trump? Meet the Magaist who criticised Taylor Swift, spread a 9/11 conspiracy, and said Kamala Harris would make the White House ‘smell like curry’

A self-styled investigative journalist whose anti-Muslim comments got her banned from social media and ride hailing apps, Loomer’s recent physical proximity to Trump had even Maga loyalists alarmed

The friendship between pro-white nationalist and self-described investigative journalist Laura Loomer, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is certainly no secret.

He backed her twice as she tried – and failed – to enter the political world and has openly commended her for her conservative views. But what has surprised, and even alarmed, certain observers is Loomer’s recent presence on the campaign trail beside Trump. Not only did she join the former US president for a 9/11 memorial event, she also flew on the Trump private plane to attend the presidential debate in Philadelphia.

Her sudden visibility next to Trump even prompted comedian Bill Maher to comment on his HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher that she was in an “arranged relationship to influence the election”.

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He also poked fun at Loomer’s previous comments around Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, who she claimed were in a bogus relationship to influence the 2024 elections. Loomer called the comments a “coordinated attack by mainstream media” and threatened to sue Maher.

Here’s what to know about Loomer and why her appearance has polarised the Maga camp.

Her attack on Kamala Harris

Loomer recently came under fire for posting a racist message on X in which she said that if Kamala Harris became president, the White House would “smell like curry” and “White House speeches would be facilitated via a call centre”.

Maga politician Marjorie Taylor Greene slammed the comments, calling them “appalling and extremely racist”. In an interview with Meet the Press, Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, who is married to a woman of Indian heritage, said, “I don’t like those comments.”

The “eating pets” claim

Famously, during the presidential debate in September, Trump claimed that illegal immigrants from Haiti were eating pets in a small Ohio town. The allegation has been widely debunked, and spurred a host of memes and funny videos on TikTok.

But where did the claims originate? One day before the debate, Loomer said on X that “cannibalistic Haitians are now killing people’s pets and hunting domestic animals on the streets of Ohio”. Vance amplified the claim, insisting that his office had received calls from locals in the area alleging the same. In a message on X, he said the claims “may be false”, while continuing to spread the narrative.

Concerns within the Republican Party

It has been widely reported that Loomer’s sudden appearance next to Trump at official campaign events has resulted in Republican Party members raising their concerns. Trump has tried to dial back on the relationship, saying at a press conference that she was a “supporter”. He added, “I don’t control Laura. Laura has to say what she wants. She’s a free spirit,” per The Independent.

In April 2023, The New York Times reported that Trump wanted to hire Loomer for a campaign role, but the idea was shot down by influential supporters. According to NPR, Trump distanced himself from Loomer earlier this month. “She’s a private citizen and long-time supporter. 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,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Her lies about Joe Biden

Two days after US President Joe Biden withdrew from the race for the White House, Loomer wrote on X that he was dying and had started handing over some of his responsibilities to other people. She wrote that “his time is limited” and his family and staffers “are holding on for dear life right now”. Biden faced increasing pressure after his disastrous performance at the presidential debate in June. He was praised by Democrats for putting his party ahead of his own political ambitions after stepping down.

Spreading a 9/11 conspiracy theory

Although Loomer joined Trump at his Ground Zero appearance for this year’s 9/11 memorial, she is widely known to have spread the conspiracy theory that the attacks were an “inside job” led by the US government. According to Sky News, she has said that the attacks were related to then secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld’s announcement that US$2.3 trillion in government funds was lost the day before the attacks.

Laura Loomer’s background

On her X profile, Loomer describes herself as an “investigative journalist” and “former Project Veritas operative”. She has also said she is “pro-white nationalism”. Project Veritas was founded by James O’Keefe, a protege of prominent conservative journalist Andrew Breitbart. Project Veritas is a conservative media organisation that “secretly infiltrates progressive organisations to produce unflattering and often selectively edited videos”, writes AFP Michigan, a labour union in Detroit.

She tried to get into politics

Loomer has made two failed congressional bids in Florida, in 2020 and 2022, both times running as the Trump-endorsed candidate. “Great going, Laura,” Trump wrote on X when Loomer won Florida’s 2020 Republican primary. “You have a great chance against a Pelosi puppet!”

Bans from social media and ride hailing apps

Loomer’s commentary against Islam, which she referred to as a cancer, as well as her July 2017 tweet celebrating the deaths of thousands of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean, resulted in her being banned from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. She was later reinstated to X by new owner Elon Musk. Loomer was also banned from Uber and Lyft following an anti-Muslim Twitter rant about its drivers.

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