In several recent photos of Donald Trump, beside him stands Laura Loomer. Who is she? According to Wikepedia, “Laura Elizabeth Loomer (born May 21, 1993) is an American far-right political activist, internet personality, and conspiracy theorist. She was the Republican nominee to represent Florida’s 21st congressional district in the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections, losing to Democrat Lois Frankel. She also ran in the Republican primary for Florida’s 11th congressional district in 2022, losing to incumbent Daniel Webster. She has described herself as “pro-white nationalism” and a “proud Islamophobe“….
In April 2023, it was reported that Donald Trump wanted to hire Loomer for a campaign role. However, the idea was said to have been met with heavy resistance from Trump’s team, as well as warnings from Marjorie Taylor Greene over hiring a “documented liar”. Since October 2023, Loomer has written and posted false claims about the Israel–Hamas war.”
Heather Cox Richarson notes, “It has been notable for a while that Trump’s wife, Melania, is nowhere to be seen, and Trump has begun to cling to provocateur Laura Loomer, who has vowed utter loyalty to Trump and is evidently quite happy to be seen with him. This is a problem for the Republican Party because of her history of conspiracy theories and open racism. As Joe Perticone and Marc Caputo of The Bulwark note, Loomer has referred to Vice President Harris as a “drug using prostitute,” for example, and suggested she has not given birth to children because “she’s had so many abortions that she damaged her uterus.”
Loomer’s extremism has made other Trump supporters urge him to keep her at a distance, sparking an embarrassing public fight. Two of those trying to get Trump to isolate Loomer are Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). Their chilliness prompted Loomer to fight back on social media, questioning Graham’s sexual identity and calling attention to Greene’s extramarital affair and comparing her to a “hooker.” The public fight between Loomer and Trump’s more restrained supporters—and who would have thought Greene would fall in the “more restrained” category?—illustrates something Josh Marshall pointed out in Talking Points Memo today.”