Who suggested to Donald Trump to say, on live national TV, that migrants eat dogs and cats in Springfield? The ex-president’s reverse exploit in the televised debate with Kamala Harris has been monopolizing the debate for days and has invaded social media with memes, videos and posts. The hunt for the culprit and the primary source of the fake news continues and comes from the parts of Laura Loomer, a figure who CNN says is part of Trump’s ‘magic circle.’
The presence of far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer alongside Trump on the campaign trail in recent days has raised questions, including from some Republicans, about the influence the controversial former congressional candidate might have on him.
Loomer is known for her anti-Muslim rhetoric and spreading conspiracy theories, including that the September 11 attacks were an “inside job” by the US government. On the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States, she joined Trump at a commemoration event, sparking outrage in some US media. The day before, the 31-year-old also flew to Philadelphia aboard Trump’s plane for the presidential debate with Kamala Harris.
One of the highlights of the debate was when Trump repeated an unsubstantiated claim that illegal immigrants from Haiti were eating pets in a small Ohio town. “They’re eating the pets of the people who live there,” he said. Town officials later told BBC Verify that there had been “no credible reports” that this had actually happened.
Trump said he was repeating statements he had heard on television, but The baseless theory was spread by Loomer just a day before the debate. On Monday, the commentator and influencer actually shared the unfounded claims to her 1.2 million followers on X.
While it’s unclear how much Loomer might interact with Trump, her post and her appearance in Philadelphia have prompted some Republicans to accuse her of inducing the former president to make the unfounded claim on stage. And an anonymous source close to Trump’s campaign told U.S. news outlet Semafor that there are some concerned people in GOP circles “100%” because of Mrs. Loomer’s closeness to Trump.
According to CNN, the 31-year-old knows Trump’s personal number and has used it. She has taken trips with him, appears frequently at his speaking events, and has addressed topics that have been picked up by the tycoon. The former president has long flirted with conspiracy theories and has regularly aligned himself with those who peddle them, especially if they support him.
Laura Loomer: who is she?
Loomer has made a career out of controversy. Emerging from the far-right online ecosystem, she has regularly tested internet companies’ willingness to enforce their terms of service. She once described herself as a “proud Islamophobe” and tweeted in 2018 that “someone needs to create a non-Islamic form of Uber or Lyft because I never want to support another Muslim immigrant driver.” Eventually has been banned from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: on the social network that later became X, the red card lasted until the arrival of Elon Musk.
The woman ran twice for Congress in her home state of Florida but was never elected. Her unwavering loyalty to Trump was on full display during the GOP primaries, when she heckled Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during public appearances with a bullhorn and spread unfounded claims online about her wife’s cancer diagnosis.
Last August, Trump even suggested the campaign hire Loomer for an official role. Her advisers and allies shot down the idea. But that wasn’t enough to stop the lawyer. The Trump supporter has gained nearly unlimited access to the former president. Trump spotted her in the crowd at a cryptocurrency conference this summer and praised her, telling the audience, “She’s a great person, a great woman.”
Loomer did not respond to numerous requests for comment from the BBC. But on X, formerly Twitter, He said he was operating “independently” to help Trump, whom he called “truly our nation’s last hope.”. “To the many journalists who call and obsessively ask me to speak to them today, the answer is no,” she wrote. “I am very busy working on my stories and investigations and do not have time to entertain your conspiracy theories.”
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