Laura Loomer and Donald Trump

Andrea Austria / Media Matters

Research/Study Research/Study

Donald Trump and “pro-white nationalism” pundit Laura Loomer: A guide to their relationship

Trump and his campaign have deep, continuing ties to the “reprehensible racist”

Written by Reed McMaster & Noah Dowe

Published

On September 10, far-right activist and self-proclaimed “proud Islamophobe” Laura Loomer was seen traveling with former President Donald Trump ahead of the ABC News presidential election debate.

The next day, she was sighted with him at a 9/11 memorial ceremony, even though she has shared a video claiming “9/11 was an Inside Job!”

Loomer has a long history of promoting virulent xenophobia and anti-Black bigotry, conspiracy theories about mass shootings, and white nationalism. She has also been a staple of Trump’s orbit for years and apparently has the respect and ear of not only Trump, but also many of his campaign officials and allies.

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  • Laura Loomer is a far-right conspiracy theorist and bigot who has considerable access to Donald Trump and his campaign

    • Loomer is a self-proclaimed “proud Islamophobe” who has called Muslims “savages f**king everything up for everyone” and warned “we are going to have an Islamic caliphate” if Trump is defeated. In 2019, Loomer called Islam “a cancer on humanity” and argued that “Muslims should not be allowed to seek positions of political office in this country.” [Right Wing Watch, 11/1/17; Rumble, Loomer Unleashed, 8/6/24; Media Matters, 4/11/19]
    • Loomer once described herself as “pro-white nationalism” and has repeatedly launched racist attacks against Black Democrats, calling them “ghetto” and suggesting “Ebonics will replace English” if Kamala Harris is elected. [Angry White Men, 3/7/21; Media Matters, 8/14/24; Twitter/X, 7/31/24]
    • In June, Loomer said Democrats like Biden “are guilty of treason” and noted, “If you are found guilty of treason, the punishment is death.” Loomer explained, “I know that you're gonna clip what I said tonight, and you're gonna say, ‘See, look. Laura Loomer did say she wants to execute Democrats.’ No. I said that we need to follow the Constitution, and the Constitution outlines that if you are found guilty of treason, the punishment is death. And there's a lot of people, a lot of your friends, Joe Biden, a lot of your associates who would qualify for the death penalty.” [Rumble, Loomer Unleashed, 6/4/24]
    • In the week leading up to the September 10 debate, Loomer spread a conspiracy theory about the Apalachee school shooting, called Kamala Harris a “meritless DEI Shaniqua,” and hosted a guest who called cancerous tumors “a blessing.” Following the shooting, which left four children dead in Winder, Georgia, Loomer ranted on her Rumble show Loomer Unleashed: “I don't think it's a coincidence. I think it's really bizarre how every single time there's a major election there's always a school shooting, and then the Democrats like clockwork are talking about taking away our guns.” [Rumble, Loomer Unleashed, 9/4/24, 9/5/24, 9/6/24; The Guardian, 9/4/24]
    • Loomer traveled with Trump to the September 10 debate against Harris, just days after she launched a disgustingly bigoted attack on the vice president’s Indian heritage. As reported by CNN, Loomer was spotted exiting a plane with Trump after suggesting two days before that “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center” if Harris wins the election, an attack which caused MSNBC host Willie Geist to label her a “reprehensible racist” and even earned her a rebuke from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). [CNN, The Lead with Jake Tapper, 9/11/24; MSNBC, Morning Joe, 9/12/24; The Hill, 9/12/24]
    • Loomer, who last year shared a video claiming that “9/11 was an Inside Job!,” accompanied Trump to a 9/11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero. Trump advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles were also present at the event. [Media Matters, 9/11/24; Associated Press, 9/11/24]

  • Loomer has deep ties to Donald Trump

    • Trump reportedly attempted to hire Loomer for a role in his 2024 campaign, but after “a firestorm among some of Mr. Trump’s most vocal conservative supporters … a high-ranking campaign official said Ms. Loomer was no longer going to be hired.” After The New York Times’ report on the potential hiring appeared to sink the possibility, Loomer complained to the outlet that Trump was “surrounded by some people that run to a publication that is notorious for attacking him in order to try to cut me at the knees instead of being loyal to President Trump and respecting their confidentiality agreements.” [The New York Times, 4/7/23] 
    • Though he didn’t officially hire her, Trump has publicly praised Loomer, invited her to high-profile events at his properties, repeatedly appeared in photos with her, and promoted her work on Truth Social. Loomer has appeared with Trump or in his crowds at multiple events during the 2024 campaign cycle. In an April address delivered from Mar-a-Lago, Trump called Loomer “a woman with courage” and warned that “you don’t want to be Loomered.” [NBC News, 1/14/24; Twitter/X, 8/13/23, 4/3/24, 6/14/24, 6/28/24]
    • The Trump campaign’s website has repeatedly promoted Loomer’s articles, including pieces featuring attacks on his political opponents or the judges overseeing his criminal cases. [DonaldJTrump.com, 4/29/23, 11/28/23, 4/5/24] 
    • In January, Loomer claimed that “every time President Trump sees me, he always says, 'You're so smart. I love your site so much. You're so intelligent. I love your articles. ... I read your website every day.'” [Twitter/X, 1/12/24]
    • After Loomer attacked the daughter of the judge overseeing Trump’s hush money trial, the former president repeated her unverified claims on Truth Social. Loomer’s attacks, which centered on a social media account purportedly run by Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter, also quickly spread to right-wing media outlets including One America News and Newsmax. [Media Matters, 4/3/24]
    • Trump reposted Loomer’s false claim that Harris “is NOT black and has never been.” Loomer also attempted to fault Harris by arguing that she is “the descendent of slave owners.” The Washington Post had previously reported that Harris’ great-grandmother “is thought to be both a descendant of [enslaver Hamilton] Brown and enslaved Jamaicans.” [Twitter/X, 7/31/24; Truth Social, 8/1/24; The Washington Post, 1/17/21]
    • Trump seemingly echoed Loomer’s baseless accusations, originally posted to Twitter/X, that the Harris campaign used AI to “manipulate her campaign photos and videos.” According to Forbes, “Former President Donald Trump falsely claimed a crowd that gathered to see Vice President Kamala Harris arrive at a Michigan airport for a campaign rally was ‘fake,’ insisting her campaign used artificial intelligence to mask the fact that ‘there was nobody there’—a claim refuted by images, videos and accounts of the event.” [Twitter/X, 8/9/24, 8/10/24; Forbes, 8/11/24]

  • Trump’s team and allies have repeatedly praised Loomer and even occasionally appeared on her show

    • In a guest appearance on Loomer Unleashed, Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller praised Loomer and her show. He told Loomer, “Love what you’re doing with Rumble and with the entire — I mean, the show is good.” [Rumble, Loomer Unleashed, 10/26/23]
    • In 2023, Donald Trump Jr. said he would “love to see” Loomer appointed as his father’s press secretary in a second term “just to watch D.C. just explode.” On her Rumble show the next day, Loomer said she would “gladly accept,” adding that “nobody will fight for President Trump harder or defend him against the fake news media harder than I will.” [Media Matters, 11/10/23; Rumble, Loomer Unleashed, 11/10/23]
    • Trump campaign advisor Alex Bruesewitz has repeatedly posted praise of Loomer on Twitter/X. He posted, “Laura is a great journalist and a great American.” He also claimed, “Laura is a great MAGA ally and she works incredibly hard each and every day. We are lucky to have her on our side!” [Twitter/X, 12/30/23, 4/14/23]
    • Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump praised Loomer, saying she “does a lot of great work online on behalf of my father-in-law and on behalf of the country.” [YouTube, Prime Time with Alex Stein, 3/5/24]
    • Loomer described herself as a “dear friend” of Arizona Republican Senate nominee Kari Lake, who has held a fundraiser at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, and Lake praised Loomer as “an incredible investigative journalist.” In April, Lake told Loomer that Trump “loves you and appreciates you and so do I.” [Media Matters, 4/4/24]
    • Loomer helped Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) raise funds while he appeared on her show in February, saying that “I really want people to donate and support you and your reelection efforts.” Vance also follows Loomer on Twitter/X. [Media Matters, 7/29/24; The Independent, 7/20/24]
    • Longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone has described Loomer as “my protege and confidant,” and Loomer has called Stone “one of my best friends.” They have also appeared on each other’s shows and together in public appearances. [Twitter/X, 2/21/23, 9/8/23, 4/3/24, 7/23/24, 9/4/24]