Allies fear that Donald Trump’s re-election campaign will be thwarted by right-wing extremist influencers

Donald Trump’s increasingly close ties to Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and social media personality, have raised concerns among Republicans that his pursuit of the White House has taken a self-destructive turn toward the political fringes.

The former president emerged battered from his debate against Kamala Harris on Tuesday this week, when he veered off course in response to the vice president’s jibes about his fitness for the office and spouted conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and immigrants eating pets.

Republicans’ concerns about Trump’s performance have since been joined by worries that Loomer could influence his thinking at a crucial stage of the campaign.

The 31-year-old activist, who spreads 9/11 conspiracy theories, was seen disembarking Trump’s plane in Pennsylvania before the debate and accompanied him at ceremonies commemorating the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York.

“(Trump) is increasingly surrounding himself with the most subservient people who will tell him whatever he wants to hear, and he is becoming more and more removed from reality,” said Brendan Buck, a Republican strategist and former congressional aide.

Earlier this week, Loomer attacked Harris’ Indian heritage, saying that if the vice president won the election, “the White House would smell like curry and White House speeches would be delivered through a call center.”

She also persisted with baseless claims that Haitian immigrants were kidnapping cats and dogs in Ohio to eat them – an internet conspiracy theory that Trump also expressed during the debate.

A senior Republican strategist with close ties to the campaign said the former president’s fixation on social media memes and loyalty to people like Loomer had led to his failure to capitalize on his “significant lead” over Harris on issues ranging from inflation to immigration and national security.

“You want to surround yourself with people who amplify that message, right?” the strategist said. “Not someone who talks about the latest meme that came out on Reels or TikTok.”

Loomer’s closeness to Trump has earned her criticism on Capitol Hill from some of his closest allies, including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who called her “toxic,” and even Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a radical conservative in the MAGA movement.

“I don’t think she has the experience or the right mindset to advise on a very important election,” Greene told reporters outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. “Her rhetoric and tone don’t fit with the base, they don’t fit with MAGA, they don’t fit with most Republicans I know, and I condemn that in the strongest possible terms.”

Other Republican politicians have warned Trump that his outreach to the fringe could jeopardize his hopes of winning over moderate and centrist voters who could tip the balance in swing states.

“Laura Loomer is a crazy conspiracy theorist who routinely spouts disgusting nonsense designed to divide Republicans. No puppet (of the Democratic Party) could do more damage to President Trump’s re-election chances than she has. Enough is enough,” Thom Tillis, the Republican senator from North Carolina, wrote on X on Friday.

The unease over Loomer’s proximity to Trump stems from complaints from Republican officials that the former president was groomed for this week’s debate against Harris by controversial acolytes, including Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz and former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, rather than relying on more traditional conservatives.

“When you’re having a debate, you want to focus on people who can help you in the debate. I’m not entirely sure the cats and dogs thing helped the debate at all,” the Republican strategist said.

Loomer’s appearance in Trump’s entourage also raises questions about his campaign organization, led by Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, which seemed extremely functional during the Republican primaries but appears to be in trouble since Harris replaced President Joe Biden on the Democratic ballot.

In the summer, Trump brought Corey Lewandowski, a veteran of his successful 2016 election campaign, back into the ranks of the Trump administration, but it apparently did not help.

“I think we can forget the idea that this campaign is more disciplined than in the past,” Buck said.

Loomer, who shared a video last year calling the 9/11 terrorist attacks an “inside job” and has written Islamophobic and homophobic posts in the past, describes herself as an “investigative journalist” and has 1.2 million followers on X.

In response to criticism against her, Loomer accused Greene of being “jealous” of her access to Trump and Graham of being a closeted homosexual. She also said Haitian immigrants not only eat pets, but “people too.”

Her large following on “X” has made her an influential voice on the far right of American politics, alongside other influential conservative politicians like Charlie Kirk, a 30-year-old radio talk show host whose organization helps get young conservative voters to the polls.

“There are voices on the internet that can influence voters almost to the extent that they can on prime-time cable TV, and often in ways that are much less tied to reality or principles or anything else. And the Trump team is very aware of those audiences, pays attention to them and appeals to them quite strongly,” Buck said.