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

The 31-year-old provocateur and influencer posted photos from Ground Zero on Wednesday morning and shared a video of Trump talking to firefighters in Lower Manhattan, writing, “They were excited to see him.” She also accompanied the former president to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where one of the planes crashed 23 years ago after crew members and passengers fought back against the hijackers.

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

Loomer told The Associated Press in a text message 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 comments 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 during the worst terrorist attack in our country’s history. This 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,” it said.

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

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

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

The post Rumsfeld’s comments have been misrepresentedwhich were about a challenge in tracking funds due to outdated technology. The day before 9/11 was not the first time the issue had been discussed.

The conspiracy theory that U.S. officials withheld information about the September 11 attacks or were somehow involved in planning them has taken root among a group of determined “truth-tellers,” but many of their most common claims have fallen apart upon closer examination.

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

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

Some of Trump’s allies would prefer to see the former president distance himself from Loomer, but Trump has welcomed her as a semi-regular presence in recent months.

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