As Donald Trump mingled and posed for pictures with firefighters on Wednesday – one of several stops to observe the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the United States – a small entourage of the former president’s inner circle looked on from outside Engine Company 4 Ladder Company 15 in New York City.
The group included the two most powerful individuals in Trump’s orbit, his co-campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles. Standing near them was another figure whose sway with the Republican nominee also cannot be discounted: the far-right provocateur Laura Loomer.
Of all the days to count Loomer as a travel companion, September 11 was notable. Last year, she posted a video on social media claiming that the attack on the World Trade Center towers was an “inside job,” an illogical but pervasive conspiracy theory that continues to haunt the families of victims and survivors. Her anti-Muslim social media posts eventually earned her a ban from Twitter that lasted until billionaire Elon Musk bought the website, now known as X, and restored her account.
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