In April 2023,Donald Trump sought to hire Loomer for his presidential campaign, but his senior campaign advisors successfully discouraged Trump from doing so.[10][11] By September 2024, some Trump supporters and others had expressed concerns about Loomer's continuing presence around and influence on Trump.[12][13]
In March 2015, Loomer used a concealed video camera to record her conversations withBarry University officials, discussing the idea of starting a club called "Sympathetic Students in Support of theIslamic State of Iraq and Syria". The school apparently asked only that the club's name be changed to "Students in Support of the Middle East".James O'Keefe ofProject Veritas, a right-wing organization known for producing secretly recorded and deceptively edited undercover audio and video investigations about media organizations and left-leaning groups,[19][20] released the video of the encounter,[15] alleging that it captured a university official unfazed by the idea of an on-campus organization to supportISIS.[21] Shortly thereafter, the university suspended Loomer for violating the student code of conduct and a professor shown in the video filed criminal charges against her forrecording him without his knowledge.[22] At the time, Loomer was an honors student in her senior year and the president of Barry University'sYoung Republicans Club.[23]
According to aHillary Clinton campaign official, Loomer and two other women posing as Clinton supporters attempted to "entrap" campaign workers into accepting illegal cash donations in July 2015. The official said the campaign had complied with the law.[24]
On November 8, 2016, the day of the2016 U.S. presidential election, Loomer, as part of a Project Veritas stunt, went to a polling station dressed in aburqa and asked for a ballot under the name ofHuma Abedin.[20]
On June 10, 2017, she gave a speech to a crowd of "anti-Sharia" marchers in New York City organized byACT for America and condemned "liberals who aligned themselves withSharia law".[25] She put a burqa on theFearless Girl statue at its originalBowling Green location in lower Manhattan.[26]
A few days later, Loomer left Project Veritas[19] for the Canadian far-right websiteThe Rebel Media.[20]
Julius Caesar play protest
Her first stunt forRebel Media was on June 16, 2017, when she disrupted aShakespeare in the Park presentation ofJulius Caesar in New York City, by walking on stage during the live performance shortly afterthe title character was assassinated.[27] TheDelacorte Theatre production reimagined Julius Caesar asDonald Trump with a Slovenian-accented actress ashis wife, Calpurnia.[28] Before being escorted offstage by security, Loomer shouted, "This is violence against Donald Trump! Stop the normalization of political violence against the right! This is unacceptable!"[26][29] Loomer was arrested for disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing.[30][31] Earlier in the week, performances of the play had elicited criticism for depicting women and minorities perpetrating the violent assassination of Trump as U.S. president.[32]
The Public Theater New York responded by saying although they are "champions" of the First Amendment, the disruption was caused by "social media".[33] On June 19, Alyssa Rosenberg ofThe Washington Post wrote that she did not believe Loomer was genuinely offended by the play, but was looking for attention and to collect a US$1,000 bounty thatalt-right social media personalityMike Cernovich had offered to anyone who disrupted the production.[34] Appearing on theFox News programHannity a few days after her arrest, Loomer said she knew that disrupting the play would result in criminal charges against her. During the interview, she objected to the depiction of Caesar in the play and accused the left of "systematically and programmatically" using "free expression as a pretext to incite violence".[29][35]
A "Free Laura" website, soliciting donations for her arrest, had been purchased by Loomer's employer,Rebel Media ownerEzra Levant, six hours before the play started.[36] Loomer also promoted acrowdfunding page for donations, which received $12,385 from 241 contributors, more money than the normal penalties for the charges she was facing.[37]
In August 2017, she was one of severalcounter-jihad activists who were appointed "Shillman Fellows", withRobert J. Shillman contributing to her salary.[38]
In September 2017, after three months, she resigned fromRebel Media.[20][33][39][40]
On January 14, 2019, Loomer convinced several men she met in aHome Depot parking lot, who she claimed wereundocumented, to jump the fence with her atNancy Pelosi'sNapa, California, home. The group set up a tent on Pelosi's lawn to protest immigration before being removed by police. They were not arrested.[43] A few days later, Loomer attempted to interrupt a speaker at the2019 Women's March in Washington, D.C., appearing onstage to call the Women's March a "Nazi" organization. As she was escorted off by security, she shouted "What about the Jews?"[44] On January 30, 2019, Loomer and others jumped the wall surrounding theCalifornia Governor's Mansion inSacramento. They wore Mexicanserapes andsombreros, with one wearing a large false mustache, and said they were protesting GovernorGavin Newsom's stance on immigration. They were arrested, given citations, and released within a few hours.[45] Later that day, the group provoked a confrontation outside a Mexican restaurant in downtown Sacramento, live-streaming the event.[46]
2024
Loomer continued to advocate for the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump in 2024, tellingThe Washington Post, "I'm happy to dedicate all my time to helping Trump, because if Trump doesn't get back in, I don't have anything."[13] Loomer was brought as a guest by Trump to Philadelphia where he engaged in theSeptember 10 presidential debate with opponentKamala Harris.[47] The following day, Loomer attended events alongside Trump commemorating theSeptember 11 attacks. Loomer had previously endorsed claims that 9/11 "was aninside job".[48] According to anonymous sources on the Trump campaign, Loomer reportedly influenced Trump to publicly endorse various false conspiracy theories, including the claim that Kamala Harris hid her black heritage andthe claim that Haitian immigrants were eating other people's household pets in Ohio. Loomer also posted a tweet referencingstereotypes of Indians, saying that if Harris, who is half-East Indian, were elected President "the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center."Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right member of the United States House of Representatives, condemned this remark as "appalling and extremelyracist".[49]
As part of a promotional deal for the pet food brand Pawsitive on herRumble channel, Loomer filmed herself eatingdog food.[50]
2025
On April 2, 2025, Loomer had an Oval Office meeting with President Trump in which she argued that several of his staffers were not sufficiently committed to his agenda. The next day, several staff members on theUnited States National Security Council were fired over the issue of their loyalty.[51]
In July 2018, Loomer said that a man arrested in South Dakota with bomb-making equipment and illegal weapons had been a "leftistantifa terrorist".[56] According to the man's social media activity at the time, and per his brother, he was a conservative who despised liberals and Antifa.[57][56] During theOctober 2018 United States mail bombing attempts, Loomer falsely said that the bombing attacks were a "false flag" operation orchestrated by Democrats.[58][59][60]
In 2023, Loomer accusedCasey DeSantis, wife of presidential candidate and Trump competitor Ron DeSantis, of exaggerating her bout withbreast cancer to boost her husband's presidential campaign.[61]
In 2023 and 2024, Loomer falsely attributed social media posts to family members of judgesArthur Engoron andJuan Merchan, who were overseeing court cases involving Donald Trump. Loomer inaccurately claimed these family members had called for Trump's imprisonment on social media. Loomer's misinformation was amplified by Trump to support his claims that Engoron and Merchan were biased against him.[69][70]
In July 2024, Loomer falsely claimed onX that "Joe Biden is dying and final preparations are being made for him."[71] In September 2024, Loomer promoted theSpringfield, Ohio, cat-eating hoax, lying that the city is populated by "20,000 cannibalistic Haitians".[72]
Campaigns for public office
2020
Loomer during her election campaign
Loomer lost the 2020 United States House of Representatives election inFlorida's 21st congressional district to incumbent DemocratLois Frankel. The district was heavily Democratic, and Loomer's candidacy was considered a long shot.[3][73][74] Frankel had represented the district since 2012.[75] Loomer defeated five opponents to win the Republican primary in August 2020, receiving 14,500 votes out of 34,000 cast (43%).[76][77] PresidentDonald Trump expressed support for Loomer, tweeting after her primary win, "Great going Laura. You have a great chance against a Pelosi puppet!"[78] She also received endorsements from Florida RepresentativeMatt Gaetz and former Trump adviserRoger Stone.[75] The White House later downplayed Trump's support for Loomer and for Congressional candidateMarjorie Taylor Greene, saying, "The president routinely congratulates people who officially get the Republican nomination for Congress, so he does that as a matter of course... He hasn't done a deep dive into the statements by these two particular women."[79] After her primary victory, Twitter and Facebook reiterated that they would not unban her.[80][74]
In September 2021, Loomer announced hercandidacy for Florida's 11th district in 2022. She tried to unseat Republican Rep.Daniel Webster in the primary election. Loomer had initially declared her intent to run again in the 21st district.[83][84] Backed by the group American Liberty Fund, Loomer was endorsed by Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene andPaul Gosar,[85] as well asRoger Stone andMichael Flynn. She lost the primary election on August 23, 2022, with 44.2% to Webster's 51.1%, but refused to concede.[4] In an election night speech Loomer said "I'm not conceding because I'm a winner, the reality is our Republican party is broken to its core." Loomer railed against unspecified voter fraud and "big-tech election interference".[86][87]
Loomer has been banned by numerous providers, services and events, such as:
From apps and online platforms
Blogging platformMedium banned Loomer in February 2017, after expanding its platform policies to ban posting disinformation and expanding its policies against hate speech.[88] Loomer was banned from bothUber andLyft in November 2017 after a day-long anti-Muslimtweetstorm, which included tweets about not being able to find a "non Muslim cab or@Uber@lyft driver".[89][90] Twitter banned Loomer in November 2018 for violating its policies against hateful conduct.[6] After the ban, she handcuffed herself to Twitter's headquarters in New York for two hours before police cut through the handcuffs at her request.[76][91][92] In February 2019, Loomer was banned fromPayPal,GoFundMe, andVenmo.[5][93] In response, she said that "left wing terrorists and tech tyrants" were "trying to shut [her] down" and that she would "stop at nothing to make sure justice is served for the waySilicon Valley has disenfranchised me, falsely accusing me of being a white supremacist, a Nazi, anti-Muslim, a racist, a bigot, and every other smear in the book."[93] Loomer was one of several right-wing activists banned by Facebook andInstagram in 2019 for using the platforms to post misinformation and extremism.[7][94] In May 2021, she said she was banned from the social media appClubhouse hours after joining.[95]
In December 2022, afterElon Musk bought Twitter, Loomer's previously banned Twitter account was reinstated.[96]
From events
Loomer used press credentials to attend the March 2018trial of Noor Salman, the wife of the perpetrator of the June 2016Orlando nightclub shooting. Her credentials were revoked after she harassed Salman's family; when she returned to the trial the next day, she was removed by aU.S. Marshal.[8] In April 2018, Loomer disrupted an event promotingJames Comey's bookA Higher Loyalty before being removed from the building by security.[9] In September 2018, she briefly interrupted aHouse Energy and Commerce Committee hearing. Shouting from the visitor gallery, she accused Twitter CEOJack Dorsey, who was testifying before the committee, of censoring conservatives on the platform and of attempting to influence elections in favor of Democrats.[97] Republican representativeBilly Long began a mockauction chant, pretending he was selling Loomer's mobile phone, until she was escorted out.[98][99] The incident generated considerable laughter and applause from the audience.[100] In October 2018, police escorted Loomer from a campaign event forAndrew Gillum, the Democratic nominee for governor of Florida.[74]
Loomer was banned from the 2019Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) after aggressively confronting reporters, using her press credentials to follow them into a media-only area after they had declined to speak with her.[101] In particular, she heckledCNN reporter Oliver Darcy with questions about internet censorship and social media bans.[102][101]
In 2021, Loomer again confronted Dorsey, this time at theBitcoin 2021 conference, alleging he had censored people and interfered with elections; she was removed from the event.[103]
Lawsuits
In 2018, after Loomer was banned by various social media companies, she sued Twitter, Apple, Facebook, and Google.[104][105] The lawsuit, in which she was represented by right-wing activist lawyerLarry Klayman, alleged that the platforms had collaborated to suppress conservative speech. The district court dismissed the case, and theU.S. court of appeals upheld the dismissal; the courts held that social media companies cannot violate theFirst Amendmentbecause they are not governmental bodies. In 2021, the Supreme Court denied Loomer's petition to hear the case.[106]
After Twitter banned Loomer in 2018, she and her company Illoominate Media sued theCouncil on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR), claiming it had conspired with Twitter to ban her. The lawsuit was thrown out after Nathan Bernard, known forpranking prominent alt-right personalities, admitted he had fabricated the rumor that CAIR was behind the ban.[107][108] In 2020, Loomer lost an appeal of the case, with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruling that "Loomer and Illoominate offer nothing beyond vague speculation to indicate that CAIR-Florida was involved in the alleged conspiracy".[108][109] In 2021, aU.S. magistrate judge ordered Loomer to reimburse more than $120,000 in attorney's fees to CAIR.[109]
In 2019, Loomer filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against U.S. RepresentativeRashida Tlaib, alleging that during the disruption of an August 2018 campaign event by Loomer and others, Tlaib "violently grabbed" Loomer's cellphone while Loomer was questioning her about foreign policy. The MinneapolisStar Tribune reported that the "video of the incident includes audio of Loomer asking Tlaib if she was 'willing to admit... thatHamas is a terrorist organization.'"[110][111]
In 2022, Loomer again sued Facebook and Twitter, alleging their anti-hate speech policies constituteracketeering.[112] This suit was also dismissed, on grounds of bothres judicata andSection 230.[113]
In 2024, Loomer suedBill Maher for defamation after Maher suggested that Donald Trump was having an extramarital affair with Loomer.[114]
Views
Loomer has been described by various sources as far-right,[a] a white nationalist,[c] as well as alt-right,[f] andalt-lite,[g] and has described herself as a proudIslamophobe andwhite nationalist.[d] Cultural criticJames Wolcott called her a "raging zealot... intent on becoming theagent provocateur".[115] Loomer has denounced thealt-right and publicly repudiated white supremacistRichard B. Spencer, who coined the term, and refused to share a stage with him. She receivedantisemitic threats and harassment from the alt-right after this dispute.[17] However, Loomer has indicated she supportswhite nationalism, claiming it is distinct fromwhite supremacy, and that white nationalists "need effective leaders—people who aren't Richard Spencer, people who aren'tJames Allsup—to effectively convey that message."[10][116] She is also reportedly close to white nationalistNick Fuentes,[117] toasting with him for "the hostile takeover of the Republican Party".[118]
Donald Trump, whoThe New York Times reported wanted to hire Loomer for a campaign role, has described her as "very opinionated", while U.S. representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed she is "mentally unstable and a documented liar".[10][117][119][120] Loomer and Greene have shared heated arguments online with Loomer claiming Greene is "no longer an ally to America First", as well as questioning herChristianity, loyalty to Donald Trump, and lack of criticism of rival presidential candidateRon DeSantis.[121][122][123]
Trump's aides are said to have concerns over Loomer's inflammatory statements and support for theRepublican Party's fringes. Loomer considers herself a "Trump loyalist" and has described DeSantis as a tyrant, personally attacking him online.[10][124][120] Loomer also found an ally inDonald Trump Jr., who said, "I'd love to see her as press secretary just to watch D.C. just explode".[125]
Anti-Muslim
Loomer has repeatedly espoused anti-Muslim views.[e] On November 1, 2017, the day aftera terrorist attack in New York City, Loomer tweeted that she was late to a conference because she could not find a "non Muslim cab or @Uber @lyft driver". After it became known that the suspect in the attack was a former driver for Uber, she called for the creation of a newride-sharing company that did not employ Muslims. Her day-long tweetstorm blamed all Muslims for the activities of radicalIslamists such asISIS. Subsequently, bothUber andLyft announced that she had violated their guidelines and was banned from using their services.[89][90] She described herself on Twitter at the time as a "#ProudIslamophobe" and called for a complete and permanent ban on Muslims entering the United States.[126]
In August 2018, Loomer disrupted a congressional campaign event for Minnesota DemocratIlhan Omar, whichRashida Tlaib attended. Loomer shouted questions that implied that Tlaib was antisemitic.[127][128] In November of that year, Twitter banned Loomer from its platform for violating its rules against hateful behavior. According to Loomer, she was banned for a tweet about Omar in which Loomer called her "anti-Jewish" and a member of a religion in which "homosexuals are oppressed" and women are "abused" and "forced to wear thehijab".[6] A week after the ban, she handcuffed herself to a door at Twitter's New York City headquarters in protest while wearing ayellow "Jude" patch.[91] After approximately two hours, police removed the handcuffs with a bolt cutter at her request. Loomer was not arrested.[129]
In February 2019, Loomer traveled to Minnesota withJacob Wohl, a right-wing perpetrator of Internet fraud,[130][131] andAli Alexander, a far-right activist.[132] The group said they were "investigating" whether Omar had married her brother so that he could obtain U.S. citizenship, a baseless rumor that had circulated in Minnesota politics since 2016.[132][133] Wohl, Loomer, and Alexander were unable to find any immigration irregularities by Omar.[132] A few weeks later, in March 2019,Wohl and Loomer were ejected from the 2019 CPAC when they attempted to present evidence from their trip to Minnesota. Loomer had previously accosted Omar with the same unsubstantiated allegations at the August 2018 Omar campaign event, the one attended by Tlaib.[127] In 2019, Loomer uploaded a video to Instagram about Omar, blaming her and all Muslims for theSeptember 11 attacks and asserting that "Muslims should not even be allowed to seek positions of political office in this country."[126]
In 2019, following thewhite supremacist terrorist attack that killed 51 people at two mosques inChristchurch, New Zealand, Loomer wrote on the platform Telegram, "Nobody cares about Christchurch. I especially don't."[136] Loomer has described Islam as "cancer" and Muslims as "savages".[117]
White nationalism
Loomer has described herself as "pro-white nationalism",[137][116] stating her belief that "liberals and left-wing globalistMarxist Jews" don't understand "a difference between white nationalism andwhite supremacy". Loomer has described her belief that "this country really was built as the white Judeo-Christian ethnostate", and that "immigration and all these calls for diversity, it's starting to destroy this country".[10] Loomer called into anInfoWars interview withKanye West to express her support for West's right to free speech, declaring herself "sympathetic" to West. Earlier in the interview, West had praisedAdolf Hitler and theNazi Party. In response to Loomer's defense of him, West told Loomer "[I] love you."[138][139] In 2022, Loomer spoke at the annual conference of white supremacist publicationAmerican Renaissance.[140] During this speech, Loomer referred to herself as a "white advocate" and called for a ten-year moratorium on immigration. Loomer has praised American Renaissance founderJared Taylor and says she opposes "anti-white racism and anti-white hatred".[141] She has additionally attended events with white supremacistNick Fuentes, and has spoken at Fuentes' white nationalist gatheringAmerica First Political Action Conference.[142] In 2017, Loomer claimed to be datingalt-right activistTim Gionet, who had tweeted aphotoshopped picture of Loomer being executed inside agas chamber, referencing the killing of Jews during theHolocaust. Gionet denied that the pair were dating.[143][144] Loomer has also expressed support forChristian nationalism.[84][145][146] In an interview, Loomer said, in reference tobirthright citizenship "I think you can only serve in office if you were actually born in this country. Not a birthright citizen anchor baby likeNikki Haley, but I don't want people like that in our country let alone in our congress."[147][148][149]
Loomer has described herself as a nationalist, and stated that immigrants who refuse to assimilate are a threat to American heritage. In response to a news story about the drowning of 2,000 migrants in theMediterranean Sea, Loomer expressed her approval of the migrant deaths, tweeting "Good. Here's to 2,000 more."[150] According toMedia Matters, Loomer has endorsed the white nationalistGreat Replacement theory, accusing theHebrew Immigrant Aid Society of "facilitating the invasion of America",[151] and has stated that "so many rich Jews have a fixation on trying to destroy America."[152] Asked in 2017 byHaaretz about her views as a Jew participating in an "anti-sharia" event where the neo-Nazi groupIdentity Evropa was visibly present, Loomer replied, "Oh, this is like anidentitarian group. I'm not totally familiar, but I know they believe in preserving white European culture; there is nothing wrong with that, and they are nationalist."[153]
COVID-19
Loomer downplayed the severity ofCOVID-19, writing in December 2020, "I hope I get COVID just so I can prove to people I've had bouts of food poisoning that are more serious and life-threatening than a hyped-up virus". In September 2021, she said she had become ill with the virus and was battling it with a variety of preparations, including some shown to be ineffective.[154] She announced viaTelegram that she was in great pain and requested that people pray for her.[155]
After contracting the virus, Loomer continued to maintain thatCOVID-19 vaccines are "unsafe and ineffective" and said she would refuse to get one in the future.[154]
Democrats
According toMedia Matters, Loomer has said that "if you don't vote for Donald Trump, then you just hate this country." Loomer claims that the Democratic Party is supportive of Jews "getting wiped off the face of the Earth" and that Jews who vote for Democrats “might as well just go put yourself in a gas chamber yourself if this is how you're gonna behave."[156] Responding to interviewerTim Pool's suggestion that Donald Trump make lists of Democrats who should be put in jail, Loomer said that Trump should have these Democratsexecuted fortreason.[157] After the death ofU.S. RepresentativeSheila Jackson Lee, Loomer called Jackson Lee a "ghetto bitch" and "one of the most lowIQ members of Congress".[158] Loomer referred to African-American Democratic elected officials Kamala Harris,Fani Willis, andLetitia James as "DEIShaniquas".[159]
Notes
^abSources describing Loomer as "far-right" include:
^Loomer, Laura (October 21, 2020)."Laura Loomer on Parler".Parler. Archived fromthe original on October 22, 2020. RetrievedOctober 21, 2020.I was born on May 21st.... I am 27 years old.
^"Trump attacks social media companies after Facebook bans".Associated Press.The Associated Press. May 5, 2019.Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. RetrievedMay 5, 2019.The company also removed right-wing personalities Paul Nehlen, Milo Yiannopoulos, Paul Joseph Watson and Laura Loomer, along with Jones' site, Infowars, which often posts conspiracy theories. The latest bans apply both to Facebook's main service and to Instagram and extend to fan pages and other related accounts.
^Laura Loomer v. Rashida Tlaib, 19-2322 (United States District Court, District of Minnesota December 16, 2019), archived from the original on December 17, 2019.
