Updated September 14, 2024 at 17:46 PM ET
Far-right provocateur Laura Loomer traveled with former President Donald Trump multiple times in the past week — much to the dismay of some of his GOP allies.
Loomer arrived in Philadelphia on Trump's plane ahead of the presidential debate on Tuesday. The next day, Loomer — who has promoted a 9/11 conspiracy theory — joined the Republican presidential candidate at events in New York and Pennsylvania to commemorate the anniversary of the attacks.
While Trump already has a history of associating with racists, antisemites and conspiracy theorists, some Republicans have recently voiced concerns about Loomer and her past statements — including South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
On Friday night, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Loomer does not work for his campaign. "She’s a private citizen and longtime 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," Trump wrote, without specifying which statements he disagreed with.
Here's what to know:
Loomer's rise to fame
A former Republican congressional candidate, Loomer is known for promoting conspiracy theories as well as anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim views. Though she had previously been banned by some social media platforms, she was reinstated to Twitter — now known as X — under Elon Musk’s ownership, and has amassed over a million followers.
Loomer has been spreading a stream of misleading content to her followers, including false claims that President Biden was near death this summer, that Vice President Kamala Harris is not Black, and conspiracy theories about school shootings. Last year, she shared a video on X which claimed that the 9/11 attacks were an "inside job."
On Friday, Loomer said her social media post was blown out of proportion and that she is not a "9/11 truther." She added that she had written that the attacks were carried out by "Islamic terrorists."
Trump has publicly praised her and shared her posts. According to media reports, he wanted to give her a role in his campaign last year, but The New York Times reported the plan crumbled after there was immediate backlash from some of his key supporters who thought she would be a liability.
She told The Washington Post in May, “I’m happy to dedicate all my time to helping Trump, because if Trump doesn’t get back in, I don’t have anything.”
Some Republicans push back against Loomer
On Wednesday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized Loomer for mocking Harris' Indian heritage. Loomer said on X that if Harris wins, "the White House will smell like curry."
Greene wrote on X, "This is appalling and extremely racist. It does not represent who we are as Republicans or MAGA. This does not represent President Trump. This type of behavior should not be tolerated ever."
(Greene has promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories herself.)
Loomer responded on X that she "won’t be apologizing for having a sense of humor." She also accused Greene of being "jealous" of her.
On Thursday, Lindsey Graham sided with Greene and called Loomer "toxic" in an interview with HuffPost. He denounced Loomer for her Harris comment, adding that Trump should be careful of spending time with the right-wing social media influencer.
“Marjorie Taylor Greene is right. I don’t say that a lot,” Graham said. "I think that the president would serve himself well to make sure this doesn’t become a bigger story.”
On Friday, Sen. Thom Tillis echoed Graham's concerns, saying that he believes Loomer will hurt Trump's chances of winning the election in November. "Laura Loomer is a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans," he wrote on X.
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