According to a recording of her speech, Laura Loomer, a close ally of Donald Trump, identified as a “white advocate” at a white nationalist conference in 2022.
Loomer has faced increased scrutiny recently following her presence alongside Trump during a flight to the presidential debate on Tuesday, coupled with a series of racially charged tweets directed at Kamala Harris.
The outcome resulted in significant political turbulence following Trump’s underwhelming debate performance, with Harris clearly positioned as the victor. Specifically, Trump’s unfounded assertions regarding Haitian immigrants in Ohio consuming pets incited significant backlash and ridicule directed at him.
Certain analysts have attributed a portion of the responsibility for Trump’s performance to his recent association with Loomer, particularly highlighted by their joint appearance in his entourage during the recent 9/11 commemorations.
The disclosure of Loomer’s statements regarding her advocacy for white individuals is expected to intensify the ongoing debate surrounding Trump’s association with her, particularly as these remarks are part of a broader pattern of radical comments made by the podcaster and self-identified journalist.
The Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC) reported her attendance at the American Renaissance conference, yet the specifics of her speech have not been analysed until this point.
The Southern Poverty Law Centre describes the American Renaissance conference as a gathering where Klansmen, neo-Nazis, and other white supremacist organisations interact with people with racist ideologies.
Loomer addressed the conference in November 2022, following her defeat in a Republican primary in Florida’s conservative 11th district that occurred in August. Amidst the audience’s applause, Loomer stated, “I identify as a white advocate, and I actively campaigned for the United States Congress in that capacity.”
In addition to her assertion of being a “white advocate,” Loomer’s discourse centred on her complaints regarding traditional and social media firms, as well as the Republican party, which she held responsible for her defeat.
She asserted that throughout her campaign, “local TV stations systematically denied me the opportunity to participate in a congressional debate, while every other congressional candidate in their district was granted a televised debate, citing their characterisation of me as a white supremacist.”
Loomer stated, “They claimed that my stance was excessively nationalist and far-right, as I explicitly positioned my campaign to the right of the GOP.”
She stated, “I have identified as a Republican throughout my life; however, the reality of our two-party system often resembles a uniparty. Today, I must express that the Republican party no longer aligns with my right-wing values.”
She subsequently expressed optimism regarding a third party. “It is plausible that they may serve as a viable alternative in the future.”
Loomer subsequently focused her attention on “Kevin McCarthy and the Congressional Leadership Fund and the Republican Party,” asserting that they had “invested significant resources this year, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars to secure the Hispanic vote and to appeal to the Black vote,” while also “allocating millions of dollars, as they themselves acknowledged, to campaign against America First nationalist candidates.”.
Loomer addressed the assembled group, stating that her campaign prioritised three main issues: election integrity, the fight against big tech social media censorship and election interference, and the implementation of a 10-year minimum immigration moratorium.
She stated: “I was among the initial candidates to advocate for mass deportations within an immigration moratorium, and I was the first candidate to promote the breakup of large technology companies.”
Loomer’s anti-immigrant rhetoric at the conference aligns with Trump’s policy positions. Recently, the former president has reiterated his commitments to implement widespread deportations, and during the debate, he inaccurately claimed that Haitian immigrants engage in the consumption of pets.
Loomer addressed the conference audience and claimed that even members of her own Republican party had labelled her positions as extremist.
The comments made during the conference are not isolated in their significance.
Weeks prior, during a podcast recording ahead of the conference, Loomer expressed gratitude to Jared Taylor, the host of the podcast and organiser of the conference, for his contributions to white advocacy and for leading the intellectual discourse surrounding race and demographics in the nation.
In March, during her podcast appearance prior to the primary, Loomer informed Taylor that “my district is also the whitest district in the entire state of Florida” and that she was focussing on “issues of [critical race theory] and anti-white racism and anti-white hatred” while opposing the “anti-white Christian mentality the Democrats are promoting.”
Loomer claimed to Taylor that Democrats were “attempting to persecute white individuals.” There is an ongoing effort to target Christians, who are statistically among the most persecuted groups globally.
Loomer stated, “I anticipate serving as their advocate upon winning my race and being elected as their next congresswoman.”
Loomer subsequently experienced a defeat against Congressman Daniel Webster.
Loomer surfaced as an activist supporting Trump while opposing Muslim communities during the 2016 presidential campaign. She possesses an extensive background of controversies, encompassing her protest against a performance of Julius Caesar that she perceived as anti-Trump, her act of handcuffing herself to Twitter’s headquarters in response to her deplatforming, and her recent criticisms of migrants and Kamala Harris following Trump’s debate performance, which has been broadly characterised as detrimental to his campaign.