Laura Loomer, who promoted 9/11 conspiracy theories, joined Trump at attacks commemoration

Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist who wrote last year that the 9/11 attacks were an “inside job,” joined Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in New York and Pennsylvania on Wednesday as he marked the anniversary of the attacks.

The 31-year-old provocateur and influencer posted photos from the crash site and shared a video of Trump speaking to firefighters in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday morning, writing, “They were thrilled to see him.” She also accompanied the former president to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where one of the planes crashed 23 years ago when crew members and passengers resisted hijackers.

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“HAPPENING NOW: President Trump just visited the Shanksville Fire Department after visiting the United Flight 93 memorial site and meeting with family members of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack in Shanksville, Pennsylvania,” she wrote on X Wednesday afternoon. “NEVER FORGET!”

Loomer said in a text message to The Associated Press that she does not work for the Trump campaign and that she was “invited as a guest.” She did not respond to questions about her past statements about 9/11.

The Trump campaign responded with a statement from an anonymous campaign official. “Today, President Trump put politics aside and stood with Kamala Harris and Joe Biden to honor those who lost their lives in the worst terrorist attack in our nation’s history. This day was about none other than the souls no longer with us, their families, and the heroes who bravely fought to save their fellow Americans on that fateful day,” it read.

Loomer was also spotted getting off Trump’s plane as it landed in Philadelphia for Tuesday’s debate.

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Trump has a long history of exalting and associating himself with people who peddle lies and conspiracy theories, and he regularly amplifies posts on his social media page shared by people like Loomer that promote QAnon, an apocalyptic and convoluted conspiracy theory centered on the belief that Trump is fighting the “deep state.” During the debate, Trump pushed baseless claims about migrants stealing and eating cats and dogs, and later defended his comments by saying he was repeating things he had seen on TV.

She frequently posts anti-Muslim and anti-immigration messages on social media and has attacked Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, with vile racist and sexist insults. Last year, she shared a video on X in which she said that “9/11 was an inside job!” and claimed it was somehow connected to then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s announcement of $2.3 trillion in “lost” government funds on Sept. 10, 2001.

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Post misinterpreted Rumsfeld’s commentswhich addressed the challenge of tracking funds due to archaic technology. The day before 9/11 was not the first time the issue had been discussed.

The conspiracy theory that U.S. officials covered up information about the 9/11 attacks or were somehow involved in planning them has gained traction among some determined “conspiracy theorists,” but many of their most widespread claims have fallen flat under closer examination.

Loomer’s increased presence in Trump’s entourage comes as he has made a number of personnel changes in recent weeks, including bringing back veterans from the 2016 and 2020 campaigns, such as former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Lewandowski was known for his mantra, “Let Trump be Trump.”

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She has long been one of the most ardent Trump supporters in the Republican Party’s Make America Great Again wing, spearheading attacks on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Trump’s behalf in the 2024 primary, and has for years been deeply involved in pro-Trump politics — and the more extreme elements it has attracted.

Some Trump allies would prefer the former president distance himself from Loomer, but Trump has welcomed her as a regular visitor in recent months.

When she ran for Congress as a Republican in Florida in 2020, Loomer celebrated her victory in the primaries at a party attended by controversial figures including Gavin McInnes, founder of the far-right extremist group Proud Boys. She later lost a 2020 U.S. House race to Democrat Lois Frankel. She also ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2022.