Far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer has been accompanying Donald Trump on his campaign trail lately, raising concerns, including among some Republican leaders, about the former congressional candidate’s potential impact on the president.

Loomer is known for her hate speech against Muslims and for spreading conspiracy theories, such as the idea that the US government orchestrated an “inside job” in the 9/11 attacks.

Loomer accompanied Trump during the presidential debate

The 31-year-old accompanied Trump to a ceremony on Wednesday to commemorate the attacks, with some US media expressing displeasure over her presence.

On Tuesday, she boarded Trump’s plane to travel to Philadelphia for the first presidential debate between the former president and Harris.

When asked by CNN why she accompanied Trump to his Patriot Day trips to New York and to a debate stage, the former president’s campaign official declined to comment on her presence, declaring that “the day was just about the souls that are gone.”

“That day was about none other than the souls who are gone, their families and the heroes who courageously rose to save their fellow Americans on that fateful day,” the official said.

One of the pivotal moments of the debate on Tuesday night was Trump’s unsubstantiated accusation that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were stealing and eating pets. “They’re eating the pets of the people who live there,” the former president said.

“They eat the pets of the people who live there,” he added.

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After Trump was corrected on his dubious claim by the ABC moderator, the GOP leader said he was repeating something he heard on television. However, the unsubstantiated theory was allegedly spread by Loomer before the debate. The social media influencer and fringe commentator confirmed the unsubstantiated allegations to her 1.2 million followers on X on Monday.

Republicans worry about Loomer’s ties to Trump

Not only Loomer, even Trump’s VP candidate J.D. Vance spread the debunked conspiracy theory. Meanwhile, some Republicans have attributed the former president’s unsubstantiated on-stage claim to Loomer because of her X-post and presence in Philadelphia.

According to US news portal Semafor, an anonymous person close to Trump’s campaign said he was “100%” concerned about Loomer’s close ties to the former president.

The insider reportedly added: “Regardless of the restrictions the Trump campaign has put on her, I don’t think it’s working.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Sen. Lindsey Graham warned Trump to stay away from the “toxic” Loomer, with MTG saying, “I am concerned about her rhetoric and hateful tone.”

However, another source told the publication that Loomer was a “positive person to be around” and that she did not interfere with Trump’s debate preparations.

Republican consultant Dennis Lennox was quite scathing in his assessment of Trump’s and Loomer’s debate performance. “That’s what you get when you take a chance, live in the Fox News-X bubble, and rely on Matt Gaetz, let alone Laura Loomer,” he told Semafor.

In a phone interview with CNN, Loomer said she doesn’t understand the concerns about her attendance at a 9/11 memorial with Trump. She claimed people were happy to see her and even said, “Thank you for coming.”

“I have never denied that Islamic terrorists carried out the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In fact, the media has called me anti-Muslim precisely because I spend so much time talking about the threats of Islamic terrorism in America.”

According to her, she accompanied the ex-president on a plane after an assassination attempt was made on him.

“He wanted me to be on a plane with him the day after he was almost assassinated. I was with him. I flew with him to the (Republican National Convention) so that it could show that I’m a trustworthy person, that I stand behind him,” Loomer said.

She previously stated that she works “independently” for Trump and called him “truly our nation’s last hope.”

“To the many reporters who call me and obsessively ask me to talk to them today, the answer is no,” she wrote, noting that she is “very busy working” on her stories and investigations.

“I don’t have time to investigate your conspiracy theories,” she added.

Meanwhile, Trump faced criticism from the White House on Thursday over his ties to Loomer.

She predicted that if Harris wins the election on Nov. 5, “the White House will smell like curry and speeches in the White House will be routed through a call center.”

In response to her comments, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that “these kinds of remarks are ‘abhorrent.'” “It is un-American to say these kinds of things, exactly the kind of hateful and divisive rhetoric that we must condemn.”

“No leader should ever work with someone who spreads this kind of ugliness, this kind of racist poison,” Jean-Pierre noted.

Who is Laura Loomer and what is her connection to Trump?

Loomer, a self-described investigative journalist, was born in Arizona in 1993 and has extensive experience as an activist and commentator for publications including Alex Jones’ Infowars and Project Veritas.

With Trump’s support, she ran as a Republican in the 2020 race for the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida, but was defeated by Democrat Lois Frankel.

Two years later, she made another unsuccessful attempt to defeat Rep. Daniel Webster in a Republican primary in another Florida district.

She is now known for her open support for Trump and for spreading a number of conspiracy theories, such as the theory that Kamala Harris is not black and that the son of billionaire George Soros called for Trump’s assassination in cryptic messages.

She was banned from several social media sites, including Facebook and Instagram, for making derogatory comments about Muslim drivers. At one point, she called herself a “proud Islamophobe.” She was also banned from Twitter, a ban that remained in effect until billionaire Elon Musk took over the site — now known as X — and reinstated her account.

Loomer has been spotted several times at Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago. She boarded his plane to travel to Iowa, where he greeted her onstage at an event earlier this year. Trump said, “You want her on your side.” The former president also posted a number of her videos on Truth Social.

Additionally, the New York Times revealed last year that Trump had expressed interest in hiring her for his campaign, but he relented after senior advisers expressed concern that she would jeopardize his chances of winning the presidency.