Who Is Laura Loomer? What to Know About the Trump Supporter
How Laura Loomer Rose To Prominence In Right-Wing Circles
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Laura Loomer's earned herself a reputation for being one of the most divisive political figures out there right now, and her past activity's been pretty hard to ignore.
The media figure made a name for herself pulling off attention-grabbing stunts before she was embraced by right-wing activists ... and grew close to President Donald Trump.
We're going to take a look at how she rose to prominence in conservative communities ... and how her online popularity hasn't translated into support at the polls.
Laura Got Her Start During Her College Days
Loomer first gained notoriety while attending Barry University in Miami in 2015, when she secretly filmed a video in which she attempted to convince school officials to let her start a "pro-ISIS" club on campus.
Loomer, who'd partnered with right-wing advocacy group Project Veritas to publicize the video, was suspended from the university, according to NBC 6 South Florida.
She's since been open about her disdain for Muslims, describing herself as a "proud Islamophobe" and calling the religion a "cancer on society," according to The Palm Beach Post.
She later handcuffed herself to the doors of the headquarters of Twitter -- the social platform now called X -- and live-streamed the action back in 2018, after claiming she had been banned by the platform for spreading "truth" about both Sharia law and Islam.
She's Promoted Conspiracy Theories -- And Became a Staunch Trump Supporter
Loomer made a name for herself for espousing some pretty attention-grabbing viewpoints, some of which she described in 2017 as "pro-white nationalism," according to The New York Times.
She's also promoted fringe theories regarding various mass shootings, the COVID-19 pandemic and immigration, among other subjects. Her political activity appears to have endeared her to President Trump, who's described Loomer as a "patriot," according to ABC News.
Loomer's made a habit out of starting pressure campaigns against government officials she's deemed to have been disloyal to Trump, several of whom have been removed from their positions.
Loomer's Tried Running for Political Office in the Past
Loomer made two unsuccessful bids for public office ... her first campaign kicked off in 2020, when she launched a congressional run in Florida’s 21st District, listing herself as a Republican.
Although she won the Republican primary, she ended up losing to Representative Lois Frankel, a registered Democrat, in the general election.
She ran in Florida's 11th District two years later, losing to Representative Dan Webster, in the GOP primary.
Loomer refused to concede after the results of that primary were released, and called herself "a winner" ... before claiming the Republican Party was "broken to its core," according to Business Insider.
