Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has officially endorsed Donald Trump’s run for the presidency, marking a clear departure from her prior party affiliations and aligning herself with the GOP candidate’s criticisms of Vice President Kamala Harris and the tumultuous Afghanistan War withdrawal. Joining Trump in Detroit, Gabbard, a National Guard veteran who served in the Middle East and represented Hawaii in the U.S. House, commended Trump’s understanding of the weighty responsibilities that come with being president and commander in chief.
The appearance coincided with the National Guard Association of the United States’ event marking the third anniversary of the 2021 suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport, which claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members and over 100 Afghans. Gabbard and Trump also visited Arlington National Cemetery to honor three fallen service members. Gabbard praised Trump for his efforts in pursuing peace and criticized the current Democratic administration for engaging in multiple conflicts worldwide, bringing the nation perilously close to nuclear war.
Later on, it was announced that Gabbard would moderate a town hall event with Trump on Thursday in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Gabbard had shown some support for Trump while serving in the House as a Democrat and notably voted “present” during Trump’s impeachment in 2019. Throughout her terms in the House, Gabbard diverged from her party’s mainstream and gained popularity among progressives for her endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primary.
Declining to seek reelection in 2020, Gabbard pursued a presidential campaign, highlighting the negative impacts of U.S. intervention in the Middle East on regional stability and American security. She critiqued Harris during the primary debates and continued her campaign despite Biden winning the nomination. While Gabbard initially endorsed Biden, she later distanced herself from the Democratic Party, labeling it as controlled by “warmongers” and “woke” ideologues. In recent years, Gabbard has supported several prominent Republicans, contributed to Fox News, and launched a podcast.
In a similar vein, another former Democratic presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who ran as an independent challenging Biden last year, recently suspended his campaign and threw his support behind Trump for the upcoming general election.
