Laura Loomer, right-wing conspiracy theorist who met with Trump, has Treasure Coast ties

• Right-wing influencer and conspiracy theorist has been in the headlines in recent days for her meeting with President Donald Trump.
• Loomer has ties to the Treasure Coast and other parts of South and Central Florida.

Laura Loomer — the right-wing influencer and conspiracy theorist who reportedly urged President Donald Trump to fire senior national security officials, a move he made in recent days — has ties to the Treasure Coast and neighboring areas.

Loomer, a Florida resident who has described herself in such incendiary ways as “pro-white nationalism” and a “proud Islamaphobe” at events and to the media, once spoke at an “America First Rally” in Indian River County in 2021.

Loomer, who was an unannounced speaker at the event headlined by Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, described herself as the “most-canceled” person in the world, and spoke out against the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, which killed more than 1.2 million Americans.

“It’s an exaggerated flu, at best,” Loomer said about COVID-19 at the April 24, 2021, event at the Indian River County Fairgrounds & Expo Center. More than 860 Americans died from the virus the previous day, according to federal government data.

Loomer also has electoral history in Florida, including just south of the Treasure Coast.

In 2020, Loomer ran for the 21st Congressional District, which now includes much of the Treasure Coast and is represented by Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fort Pierce. That run, however, was before redistricting, when the district was largely the same as the current 22nd Congressional District, just to the south. That district, which encompasses much of Palm Beach County, was and is represented by Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach.

That race, in which Frankel defeated Loomer by a margin of more than 20% of the vote, made international headlines for the rhetoric used by the controversial Republican nominee in attacking Frankel.

In 2022, Loomer ran again in a different part of Florida. In the 11th Congressional District, comprising much of the western Orlando suburbs, Loomer ran against incumbent Daniel Webster, R-Clermont. Webster defeated Loomer by less than 7% of the vote in the Republican primary.

Wicker Perlis is TCPalm’s Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at wicker.perlis@tcpalm.com.