Image of far-right activist Laura Loomer is doctored
- Published on October 14, 2024 at 22:45
- 2 min read
- By Bill MCCARTHY, AFP USA
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"Trump rallies today! These are the MAGAs," says an October 12, 2024 post sharing the picture on Threads.
A similar message on X describes the photo as showing "Trump supporters."
The phrase “Hitler did nothing wrong” is a slogan that has circulated on 4chan, a website renowned for hosting extremist content.
The posts sharing the image spread across platforms as Trump, seeking a return to the White House, intensifies his rhetoric and attacks on Democratic opponent Kamala Harris ahead of November's election.
But the picture claiming to show a Trump fan sporting a shirt supporting Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, is doctored.
A reverse image search surfaced the original photo from the media agency Sipa USA, which shows Loomer outside a federal courthouse in Miami, Florida, while Trump was arraigned June 13, 2023 on charges related to his handling of classified documents from his time in office (archived here).
Her shirt said: "Donald Trump Did Nothing Wrong!"
The photo featured in a May 2024 Washington Post story about Loomer.
Other pictures from the courthouse -- and videos Loomer shared to her Rumble channel -- captured her in the same shirt (archived here).
A self-declared Islamophobe whose inflammatory remarks have led even heavily right-leaning Republicans to denounce her, Loomer sparked a media firestorm in September after she was pictured traveling with Trump to his debate against Vice President Harris. The next day, Loomer accompanied former president Trump to Ground Zero on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks -- despite having claimed that the deadliest terrorist attack in US history was an "inside job."
Loomer, long banned from several social media platforms, had days earlier posted on X that "the White House will smell like curry" if Harris, whose mother is Indian, wins the election.
Asked about her conspiracy theories at the time, Trump said Loomer is a "supporter" and a "free spirit" with "strong opinions."
"I don't control Laura. Laura has to say what she wants," Trump said.
AFP has debunked other misinformation about the election here.
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