Laura Loomer's history in Florida politics, explained

“Really toxic.”

Someone who airs “nasty, racist, and divisive rhetoric.”

A “proud Islamophobe.”

These are just some of the things that conservatives call Laura Loomer. That last quote is Loomer talking about herself.

So why has she become former President Donald Trump’s travel companion in recent days?

The Trump campaign didn’t answer that question when emailed for comment. Loomer also couldn’t be reached for comment. However, the campaign has noted that Loomer is not a staffer and that she doesn’t advise Trump on his campaign or policy.

To unravel the mystery of Loomer’s connection to Trump, we have to start in Florida.

A history of Islamophobia

A decade ago, Loomer, then a college student at the Miami-area Barry University, first made headlines by tipping off the far-right blog Gateway Pundit about an imam attending a 9/11 memorial on her campus. She eventually got suspended for an attempted sting in which she taped herself telling a teacher that she wanted to form a pro-ISIS on-campus group.

Her anti-Muslim actions, writings and statements continued as she became a conservative social media influencer. Some notable moments, according to a fact sheet compiled by Georgetown University’s Bridge initiative:

— In 2017, after a terrorist truck bombing in New York City killed eight people, Loomer unleashed a series of bigoted tweets claiming, among other things, “Someone needs to create a non Islamic form of @uber or @lyft because I never want to support another Islamic immigrant driver.”

— The next year, she had her press credentials revoked from an Orlando courthouse after she confronted the family of the widow of the ISIS-inspired Pulse nightclub shooter. The widow was on trial for aiding her husband but was acquitted of all charges.

— By August 2020, Loomer’s rhetoric got her banned from Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, which is now called X and has since reinstated her.

An unsuccessful political career

In 2019, Loomer launched a foray into Republican politics, filing to run in the GOP primary in the race for Florida’s 21st Congressional District. The deep-blue district was held by Democrat Lois Frankel — and was home to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago.

Loomer raised more than $2 million for her run, coasting to a win in a six-way Republican primary. Her win got national media attention, with the New Yorker lamenting her as “a nightmare apparition of our present and future politics.”

To Loomer, the race became a referendum on “cancel culture.” Frankel defeated her by 20 points.

The conservative provocateur wasn’t done. In 2022, Loomer looked for another congressional seat. This time, she challenged fellow Republican Daniel Webster.

According to a survey she filled out for the elections database Ballotpedia, Loomer ran on stopping what she called Big Tech censorship, and on an immigration moratorium.

Webster fended off the challenge from Loomer, winning by seven points. Like Trump during the 2020 election, Loomer refused to concede the race.

“I’m a winner,” she said that night.

Loomer’s connection to Trump

Since Trump’s political rise, Loomer has been one of his biggest cheerleaders. During the 2024 Republican presidential primary, Loomer was one of the loudest anti-Ron DeSantis voices in the Republican Party. In one episode, without evidence, she called Florida first lady Casey DeSantis’ battle with cancer “over exaggerated.”

Trump, in return, has praised Loomer, at one point calling her “amazing” at a rally. He told reporters Friday that Loomer is a “strong person,” with “strong opinions.”

On Thursday, Trump blasted a link from Loomer’s blog to his nearly 7.7 million Truth Social followers. Loomer traveled with Trump to Tuesday’s debate, and to a Wednesday 9/11 commemoration. (A campaign official said in a statement that coverage of that event should be focused on the victims, not on other attendees.)

Loomer’s attendance at that last event was especially notable given the fact that in the past, she has questioned the official narrative around 9/11, a conspiratorial stance on which she doubled down Friday.

Trump has considered hiring Loomer to a campaign post in the past, CNN reported. And should he win the presidency and consider hiring her in the future, Loomer has suggested she would be open to it.

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