TW: racism, conspiracy theories
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Laura Loomer is known for her extreme views and smear campaigns. According to German media taz, she describes herself as a 'proud Islamophobe' and regularly spreads racist rumours, sexist and homophobic comments, and conspiracy theories. She's been an active part of Donald Trump's campaign, but some of her comments may have gone too far, even for the former president's team.
Far-right activist Laura Loomer regularly compares Islam to cancer, and describes the LGBTQIA+ community as a 'terrorist organization'. She also claims that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were an 'inside job' done by the US government.
After X banned her from the platform in 2018 because of this extreme content, Laura Loomer chained herself outside the company's headquarters in New York and accused the company of anti-semitism.
But who is this far-right activist who has been dominating the headlines in the run up to the elections?
Who is Laura Loomer?
Laura Loomer began her career at the far-right website InfoWars run by Alex Jones and anti-Muslim activist Pamela Geller.
As per the BBC, in 2020 she ran as a republican candidate for the US House of Representatives in Florida, with the support of Trump himself. However, she lost to a democrat and had a second unsuccessful run two years later as well.
Despite failed attempts to enter politics, she has now become a strong, and controversial, voice for the Trump campaign.
She is known as a 'close ally' of Trump and has even been joining him on his campaign trail in the past weeks. However, Loomer does not have any official role in Trump's campaign, and his team has referred to her as a 'supporter'. She also maintains that she is helping the former president 'independently'.
That being said, Loomer's extreme and divisive comments are causing problems for Trump's team. Before the TV debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, she made racist remarks about Kamala Harris' Indian origin, according to taz. It is also suspected that Trump picked up the rumour that Haitian refugees in Ohio were secretly eating pets after it was coined by Laura Loomer.
Republicans distance themselves from her
Indeed, her remarks have been met with disapproval in right-wing circles, with some worried that it will harm Trump's bid. Politicians such as Marjorie Taylor Greene have condemned her comments as 'extremely racist' and Republican senator Tom Tillis called it 'disgusting garbage' aimed at dividing Republicans. He wrote on X:
Laura Loomer is a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans.
A very well-known person is now following suit. Indeed, JD Vance, who is married to an Indian-American woman, is trying to distance himself from the far-right activist and conspiracy theorist after she made those racist comments about Kamala Harris, according to The Independent.
Laura Loomer claimed in a post on X that the White House will 'smell like curry' if Kamala Harris wins the election - an obvious reference to the vice president's Indian heritage.
According to The Independent, JD Vance said he is not a fan of these comments, but emphasized that he does not look for every little thing on the internet to get angry about. He explained that the focus should be on politics and important issues.
JD Vance also clarified that Laura Loomer is not part of the Trump presidential campaign, which he also reiterated on the social media platform Truth Social. He declined to answer questions about his claim that Haitian migrants in Ohio were stealing pets off the streets - a bizarre allegation that has been debunked by local law enforcement.
This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag DE.
Read more:
Fact-checking: Laura Loomer accuses Kamala Harris' mother of lying on immigration file, is it true?
Donald Trump supporters accuse Kamala Harris of changing her accent: ‘She’s the fakest'
Donald Trump’s sexist attack on Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton draws heavy criticism
Sources used:
taz.de: Too extreme? Not for Trump
The Independent: JD Vance, married to an Indian-American, distances himself from Laura Loomer's racist slur
BBC: Laura Loomer: Who is conspiracy theorist travelling with Trump?
