A conspiracy theorist close to ex-President Donald Trump has sparked concern among allies that she has influenced him to make extreme remarks like immigrants eating pets.
Laura Loomer, 31, a right-wing theorist and social media influencer, flew with the Republican nominee in his private jet to Tuesday night’s debate in which he repeated a baseless claim about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.
‘They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,’ Trump said in his showdown with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. ‘They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.’
Trump reinforced his belief in the claim even when a moderator told him it had been debunked, saying he saw it ‘on television’.
Who influenced Trump’s eating dogs and cats remark?
The rumor had been circulating right-wing channels on the Internet, but many have suspected that Loomer, who had been posting about it, directly inspired Trump to utter it during the critical debate.
Loomer on the day before the debate had put out the eating pets claim on X (formerly Twitter), where she has 1.2million followers.
‘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 streets of Ohio,’ she posted on Monday.
‘Vote for @berniemoreno. Bernie will help secure our border and he won’t allow Haitian invaders to eat your dogs and cats for dinner.’
A source close to the Trump campaign expressed ‘100%’ concern around Loomer’s closeness to the former president.
‘Regardless of any guardrails the Trump campaign has put on her, I don’t think it’s working,’ the source told the news outlet Semafor.
But another source told the outlet that Loomer did not participate in his debate preparations and that she was a ‘positive person to be around’.
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Who is Laura Loomer?
Loomer, born in Arizona, describes herself as an ‘Investigative Journalist’ and ‘Feisty Jewess’ on her X profile.
She has worked as a commentator for the far-right activist group Project Veritas, and for Alex Jones’ far-right conspiracy theory and fake news site, Infowars.
Loomer ran unsuccessfully as a congressional candidate in the Sunshine State twice – for House districts in Palm Beach County in 2020 with Trump’s backing, and in Central Florida in 2022.
Besides flying with Trump the debate that many said he lost, Loomer accompanied him to an event the next day commemorating the 9/11 attacks. Loomer has also attended numerous events at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
What other conspiracy theories has Loomer pushed?
Loomer last year posted that 9/11 was an ‘inside job’. On Wednesday, she pushed a conspiracy theory that Harris during the debate wore audio earrings, which have been found to actually be from Tiffany & Co.’s HardWare collection.
Earlier this month, Loomer wrote on X of the vice president who was born to Indian and Jamaican parents: ‘If @KamalaHarris wins, the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center 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.’
Even fellow conspiracy theory spreader, Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, took issue with that comment, calling it ‘appalling and extremely racist’.
‘It does not represent who we are as Republicans or MAGA,’ wrote Greene on X. ‘This does not represent President Trump.’
What has Loomer said about her relationship with Trump?
Loomer told the Associated Press that she does is not employed with the Trump campaign and was ‘invited as a guest’.She did not respond to questions about her past statements about 9/11.
She has also said on X that she works ‘independently’ to boost Trump, who is ‘truly our nation’s last hope’.
‘To the many reporters who are calling me and obsessively asking me to talk to them today, the answer is no,’ Loomer wrote.
‘I am very busy working on my stories and investigations and don’t have time to entertain your conspiracy theories.’
What has Trump said about Loomer?
Trump addressed Loomer on Friday amid rising backlash against her from his base.
‘I don’t know. Laura is a supporter. She’s a strong person,’ he said during a press conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. ‘I don’t control Laura. I can’t tell Laura what to do.’
Trump distanced himself from Loomer a day after doubling down on the eating pets claim – and dragging yet another animal into the mix that already included dogs, cats and ducks.
‘They’re taking the geese. You know where the geese are? In the park, in the lake,’ he said during a rally in Tucson, Arizona. ‘And even walking away with their pets. “My dog’s been taken.”‘
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