Republicans are concerned about former US President Donald Trump's ties to far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer and her potential influence on him, as she has been frequently seen on the campaign trail recently.
Loomer, a self-described investigative journalist known for her association with organizations such as Project Veritas and Infowars, has a history of promoting anti-Muslim rhetoric and spreading conspiracy theories.
The 31-year-old social media influencer, who previously claimed the 9/11 attacks were an “inside job” carried out by the US government, came under significant criticism when she accompanied the 78-year-old former US president at an event commemorating the attacks.
He also traveled to Philadelphia aboard Trump's plane on Tuesday for the presidential debate between him and Vice President Kamala Harris in the city.
During the debate, Trump repeated a baseless claim that illegal immigrants from Haiti were eating domestic pets in a small Ohio town. However, according to the BBC“There have been no credible reports” that this actually happened.
Trump cited hearing these claims on television, but the unfounded theory was repeated by Loomer to her 1.2 million followers on X, just a day before the debate.
Some Republicans have blamed her for Trump making that baseless claim on stage.
An anonymous source close to the Trump campaign told US news outlet Semafor that they were “100%” concerned about Loomer's proximity to Trump.
“Whatever restrictions the Trump campaign has placed on him, I don't think they're working,” the source said.
While Loomer has not spoken to the media about the allegations, she took to her X account and said she operates “independently” to help Trump, whom she referred to as “truly our nation's last hope.”
“To the many journalists who call me and obsessively ask me to speak with them today, the answer is no,” she wrote. “I am very busy working on my articles and investigations and I do not have time to think about your conspiracy theories.”
In 2020, she ran as a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida with Trump's support, but lost to Democrat Lois Frankel.
He tried again two years later, when he unsuccessfully ran to unseat Rep. Daniel Webster in a Republican primary in a different Florida district.
She is now known for her vocal support of Trump and for promoting a long list of conspiracy theories, including claims that Harris is not black and that billionaire George Soros' son was sending cryptic messages calling for Trump's assassination.
