This story first appeared in NPR’s live blog of the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Follow along for live updates, fact checks and analysis.
As former President Donald Trump traveled to Philadelphia for his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, one of the guests on his plane was far-right social media influencer Laura Loomer, who once described herself as a “proud Islamophobe” and “pro-white nationalism.”
Loomer, a former Republican congressional candidate, is known for promoting conspiracy theories as well as anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim views. Though she had previously been banned by some social media platforms, she was reinstated to Twitter — now known as X — under Elon Musk’s ownership, and has amassed over a million followers.
Trump has publicly praised her and shared her posts, and this is not the first time he has invited her on his plane. According to media reports, he wanted to give her a role in his campaign last year, but The New York Times reported the plan crumbled after there was immediate backlash from some of his key supporters who thought she would be a liability.
Loomer instead has been spreading a stream of misleading content to her followers, including false claims that President Joe Biden was near death this summer, Harris is not Black and conspiracy theories about school shootings.
She told The Washington Post in May, “I’m happy to dedicate all my time to helping Trump, because if Trump doesn’t get back in, I don’t have anything.”
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