FFormer Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has endorsed Donald Trump’s presidential bid, distancing herself even more from the party she sought to represent four years ago. She also joins the Republican candidate in criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris and the chaotic withdrawal from the Afghanistan war.
Gabbard, a National Guard veteran who has served two tours in the Middle East, appeared alongside Trump in Detroit on Monday and said the Republican candidate recognizes the grave responsibility that a president and commander in chief has for the lives of each and every one of us.
The couple appeared at the National Guard Association of the United States on the third anniversary of the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 100 Afghans. Gabbard accompanied Trump earlier Monday to Arlington National Cemetery, where the former president laid wreaths in honor of three of the slain service members — Sergeant Nicole Gee, Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss.
On Monday, Gabbard praised Trump for his “courage to meet with adversaries, dictators, allies and partners alike in the pursuit of peace, and to consider war as a last resort.” She condemned the Democratic White House because the US now “faces multiple wars on multiple fronts in regions around the world and is closer to the brink of nuclear war than ever before.”
The former president’s team announced later Monday that Gabbard would moderate a town hall meeting with Trump that the campaign is planning for Thursday in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Gabbard has long signaled a level of support for Trump, even when she served as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2019, she was the only lawmaker to vote “present” when the House impeached Trump over his dealings with Ukraine.
Gabbard’s support of her former party’s opponent represents a radical shift from her position as a Democrat representing Hawaii in the U.S. House of Representatives, although during her four terms in office, Gabbard was known for taking positions at odds with her own party’s establishment. She was an early and vocal supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Democratic presidential primary, which endeared her to progressives.
Gabbard did not seek re-election in 2020, but instead ran for president herself. She said U.S. wars in the Middle East had destabilized the region, made the U.S. less safe and cost thousands of American lives, and that both Democrats and Republicans were to blame. She sharply criticized Harris’ record during a primary debate and ultimately prevailed in that race, which President Joe Biden ultimately won.
Gabbard endorsed Biden but became an independent two years later, saying the Democratic Party was dominated by an “elitist cabal of warmongers” and “woke” ideologues. In the years since, she has campaigned for several high-profile Republicans, joined Fox News as a contributor and launched a podcast.
Another former Democratic presidential candidate has also recently endorsed Trump. Last week, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – who ran as a Democrat against President Joe Biden last year – suspended his campaign and announced he would support Trump in the general election.
—Kinnard reported from Chapin, SC. McAvoy reported from Honolulu, Hawaii.
