A controversial Florida activist’s recent involvement with former President Donald Trump is drawing significant attention.
Laura Loomer, a far-right figure known for her polemic views and theories, recently traveled with Trump to the presidential debate in Philadelphia and the 9/11 commemoration in New York.
Loomer ran as a Republican candidate in 2020 for Florida’s 21st Congressional District, which includes the cities of Port St. Lucie and Jupiter. Banned from several social media platforms, she rejoined Twitter after Elon Musk’s takeover.
Eduardo Gamarra, a political professor at Florida International University and expert in campaign strategy, compared Loomer to far-right figure Nick Fuentes, noting that such individuals gain prominence by making extreme statements on social media.
“These young kids who have become very politically prominent by saying the most outrageous things, and primarily by doing so over social media,” Gamarra said.
Historically, candidates have distanced themselves from polarizing figures to avoid negative impacts on their campaigns.
“The conventional wisdom was that if there was somebody controversial, especially taking extreme views, that person would negatively affect the course of the campaign,” Gamarra added.
But Trump has done the opposite, which has affected his campaign significantly. Notably, after rumors circulated among ultra-conservative groups on social media, including Loomer, that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Ohio, Trump repeated the claim in the debate.
“They’re eating the dogs, the people who came in,” Trump said.
Gamarra argues that Trump’s connections with polarizing figures have a different impact on his base.
“That has strengthened his relationship with his core group of supporters,” he explained.
Gamarra is not concerned about Loomer’s effect on Trump’s devoted supporters but about the broader societal implications.
“She’s also part of that effort to normalize that kind of hatred that this country had thought it had eradicated,” he said.
Some pro-Trump Republicans are vocal in their opposition to Loomer. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized her, stating, “Her rhetoric and her tone does not match base, does not match MAGA, does not match most Republicans I know. I’m completely denouncing it. I’m over it.”
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis also voiced his concerns on social media, calling Loomer a “crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans.”
As the campaign continues, Loomer’s role in Trump’s orbit remains a point of contention within the Republican Party.
