On Tuesday, Laura Loomer—the unhinged right-wing influencer who recently, baselessly accused Kamala Harris of “[having] so many abortions that she damaged her uterus”—accompanied Donald Trump to the debate, riding in his plane to the venue. And on Wednesday, Loomer was at Trump’s side at a memorial for 9/11, which Loomer has very publicly theorized was an "inside job."
The self-stylized, “proud Islamophobe,” who was previously banned from Twitter for being a literal neo-Nazi (but was reinstated by Elon Musk), has since sparked significant GOP infighting over her closeness with the former president, which comes as Trump keeps trying to fight accurate portrayals of him as an extremist loon.
If you want a better idea of just how insane Loomer is, this week, she and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) tore into each other because Greene of all people thinks Loomer's too overtly racist to associate herself with Republicans. Earlier this week, Loomer wrote in a head-spinning, racist rant that if Harris is elected, the White House will “smell like curry” and become a poorly-run customer service hotline. On Wednesday, Greene quote-tweeted the post, calling it “appalling and extremely racist,” and unrepresentative of Republicans or the MAGA movement. I would argue it’s actually pretty representative of both, but it’s telling that even Greene doesn’t want her party associated with such blatant, unconcealed white supremacy.
Loomer responded by calling Greene a “trailer trash harpy” and accusing Greene of cheating on her ex-husband. By Thursday, The Bulwark reported that Greene personally called Trump to complain about Loomer’s presence in his circle. “I’ve spoken with President Trump, but I’m not going to go into the details of our personal conversation,” Greene told the outlet.
Get your popcorn popped, Twitter family! Laura Loomer and Marjorie Taylor Greene are having a delicious cat fight. Who are you putting your money on? pic.twitter.com/FE5HSJgjns
— Jen???????? (@JenTusch) September 12, 2024
Greene isn’t the only prominent Republican Loomer is currently clashing with: On Thursday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)—who reportedly conceded that Trump badly lost the debate—told HuffPost that Loomer is “really toxic,” and referenced the time Loomer “actually called for Kellyanne Conway's daughter to hang herself.” Speaking of her role alongside Trump’s campaign, he said, “I don't know how this all happened, but, no, I don't think it's helpful. I don't think it's helpful at all." In response, Loomer went ballistic at the senator, childishly calling him “Gay” with a capital G in a lengthy, homophobic rant that questioned his loyalty to Trump.
“Senator Graham is working tirelessly day and night to help re-elect President Trump,” a spokesperson for Graham told NBC News in a Friday report. “This race is very much ours to lose. Ms. Loomer is a stain on society. There should be no place of prominence in this country for her vile, mean-spirited, destructive, racist rhetoric and views."
Laura Loomer says Lindsey Graham should come out of the closet. pic.twitter.com/3UDc2fjQTe
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) September 12, 2024
Other Republicans have anonymously railed against Loomer’s relationship with Trump. One unnamed GOP senator told NBC, “Everybody’s stunned that he would bring her down on his plane to the debate but even more stunned that she would be riding with him on the 9/11 anniversary. That kind of stuff will create a distraction you can’t overcome.” A different, unnamed Republican senator and Trump ally observed that the former president is “drawn to people who like and promote him,” and called this “really dumb.” A former Trump administration official told Semafor that Loomer’s presence is “dangerous” and said, “I think it shows poor judgment, but I don’t think it’s a turning point, because I think that he’s practiced in that before.”
Much of the Republican backlash against Loomer is because the party prefers to deliver their racism in the form of slightly watered-down dog whistles, harmful policy proposals, and slogans that leave at least an inch of room for plausible deniability. Loomer has taken a decisively different approach: She describes herself as “pro-white nationalism," and called a deceased former leader of the Congressional Black Caucus a “ghetto bitch” who was “going to hell.” This is the woman who appears to be advising Trump on how to campaign against Kamala Harris, a biracial, Black and Indian American woman.
The Trump campaign told reporters inquiring about Loomer’s presence that she is “not a member of our staff.” But one anonymous source working on the campaign told Semafor, “Regardless of any guardrails the Trump campaign has put on her, I don’t think it’s working.” Loomer herself said last year that she’d “gladly” serve in the Trump White House. Within Trump’s campaign, she’s reportedly creating rifts as campaign leaders are concerned by her influence—but afraid to risk their own influence over Trump by telling him to ditch her.
In sum, it’s a fucking mess. And as much as I’d like to be entertained by this real-life reenactment of the “Worst People You Know Are Fighting” meme, it’s nothing if not terrifying that a person like Loomer appears to have this much power over someone who’s neck-and-neck to become president of the United States.
