Who is Laura Loomer, the right-wing conspiracy theorist threatening Donald Trump’s campaign?
Welcome to the latest instalment of our 2024 United States presidential election weekly recaps. If you missed last week’s summary, make sure you catch up here. Otherwise, we’re back with another tumultuous week in US politics. So, buckle up, we have lots to fill you in on.
From a heated debate and a particular conspiracy theorist dominating the Trump campaign to Marjorie Taylor Greene standing up for Kamala Harris, this week’s edition has got it all!
Who is conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer?
Laura Loomer is a far-right political activist and well-known internet personality. Most recently, the 31-year-old has become a central figure in the Donald Trump campaign, making her presence known at public events and allegedly influencing Trump’s ideology and rhetoric.
Loomer does also have a background in politics, having been the Republican nominee chosen to represent Florida’s 21st congressional district in the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections until she lost to the Democrat Lois Franke.
Loomer is well known within the far-right political scene and has made quite the reputation for herself with her anti-Muslim rhetoric and for spreading outlandish conspiracy theories, including that the 9/11 attacks were an “inside job” carried out by the US government.
On Tuesday 10 September 2024, she travelled to Philadelphia on board Donald Trump’s private jet for the presidential debate in the city.
Allegedly, the media personality is credited with feeding Trump the baseless online hoax that illegal immigrants or “aliens” from Haiti have been eating domestic pets in a small Ohio city. “They are eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump famously said during the former president’s recent debate with Harris.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 11, 2024
- Donald Trump on immigration during the presidential debate https://t.co/0A6UEeAwtd
Trump: They’re eating the dogs!
— Ben Wegmann (@benwegmann) September 11, 2024
Kamala: I won’t take your guns, I stay strapped!
Joe Biden: pic.twitter.com/Jfs36M6egq
Wow! Trump is right, I just went to the 7-11 in Springfield, Ohio, to get some gas and a hot dog. pic.twitter.com/p6eal93XSL
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) September 11, 2024
According to trump pic.twitter.com/ZfaOQ7Fzt3
— Supriyo Paul (@Supriyopaul_60) September 11, 2024
"They're eating the dogs!" —me every 4th of July pic.twitter.com/0tb5kLY3ky
— Tim Duffy™ (@TimDuffy) September 11, 2024
Trump stated he was repeating claims he had heard on television, but the theory was actually aired by Loomer just a day before the debate. On Monday 9 September, the far-right figure and social media influencer repeated the claims to her 1.2 million followers on X (formerly Twitter).
Disturbing reports came out this weekend about Haitian immigrants eating people’s pets in Ohio where Democrats like @SenSherrodBrown and the Biden-Harris regime imported over 20,000 cannibalistic Haitians who are now killing people’s pets and hunting domestic animals on the… https://t.co/TKReL5HEkN
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) September 9, 2024
Haitian immigrants aren’t just eating cats and dogs.
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) September 12, 2024
They eat HUMANS.
Remember their leader? Known as “Barbeque”?
Only Hannibal Lecter himself would want to bring more of them to the United States!
Don’t let the media say that concerns about illegal immigration are… https://t.co/Iu3WhuEWJR
The bizarre moment was subsequently dubbed as the point within the debate where it was clear Harris had taken home a win. Indeed, according to UnHerd, the VP’s success on debate night also potentially clinched her the election.
“The pundits had all complained, as if to tutor her, that the country needed to know her. Well, by the time of the debate, she was still blank and unknown. She was still someone who seemed to want to be president only to be president, as if she had nothing better to do. But then something happened. As Trump blustered and came apart, Harris’ mediocrity fell away. As he wrecked himself on the rocks of his obsessions, her shallows became depths. (…) Lacking originality and charm, she drew vitality from Trump’s bile and rage,” writer Lee Siegel observed.
At the end of the debate, the American people still didn’t know much about Harris and the policies she supports but it’s undeniable that she was able to cast Trump as a mindless megalomaniac while presenting herself as calm and presidential in contrast.
Her name legally changed to Madam President after this. #Debate2024 pic.twitter.com/aomk9ir43M
— lonnie (@lonnie_balls) September 11, 2024
Even the subtle gesture of determinately walking over to him and offering her hand before he even had the chance to get settled sent an understated but strong message: Madam president will come to you.
It’s clear to see that Loomer and the rest of Trump camp’s strategies of conspiracies and fake news walked right in the hands of Harris’ hard-hitting demeanour.
So, where does this leave Loomer? In a X match with Marjorie Taylor Greene apparently.
For context, Loomer has consistently promoted claims that Harris is not Black and made many comments in that regard which have been deemed racist and inappropriate.
This is something Trump himself has been heavily criticised for. “Everyone who works for him thinks she’s a liability,” one Trump aide said of Loomer in a report in NBC News in January 2024.
Then, Loomer deemed it appropriate to post this on X: “If @KamalaHarris wins, the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call centre and the American people will only be able to convey their feedback through a customer satisfaction survey at the end of the call that nobody will understand,” which drew the ire of, hold your breath, Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Greene took issue with Ms Loomer’s comments and responded: “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 behaviour should not be tolerated ever. @LauraLoomer should take this down.”
This is appalling and extremely racist. It does not represent who we are as Republicans or MAGA.
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) September 11, 2024
This does not represent President Trump.
This type of behavior should not be tolerated ever. @LauraLoomer should take this down. https://t.co/z9s5fZlgQi
I know, I can’t believe it either. Hell must be freezing over because I am agreeing with Marjorie Taylor Greene of all people. Truly, what a time to be alive. And that’s a wrap for this week! See for the next one!
