Tulsi Gabbard, who contested under the Democratic four years ago, has officially supported Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, marking a major shift away from the party she was going to represent in 2020. Gabbard also voiced the Republican candidate’s critiques of Vice President Kamala Harris and the controversial withdrawal from Afghanistan by aligning herself with Donald Trump.
Gabbard showed up with Trump in Detroit on Monday, where she gave her endorsement, pointing to her experience as a National Guard veteran who served two tours in the Middle East.
The former Democratic candidate mentioned that Trump “understands the grave responsibility that a president and commander in chief bears for every single one of our lives.”
They were both available at the National Guard Association of the United States on the third anniversary of the tragic August 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport, where 13 U.S. service members died and over 100 Afghans. Gabbard was with Trump at Arlington National Cemetery earlier that day, where Trump laid wreaths in respect to the three fallen service members: Sgt. Nicole Gee, Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss.
Gabbard has thrown her weight behind Trump in the past, even while she was a Democrat in the U.S. House. She was the only member of Congress to vote “present” during Trump’s impeachment over his actions regarding Ukraine, especially in 2019.
Gabbard’s support for Donald Trump shows a stark shift from her former job as a Democratic representative for Hawaii, though she was known for taking positions that often diverged from her party’s establishment.
She was an early and vocal fan of Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Democratic presidential campaign during her four terms in office, which garnered her favor with progressives.
Gabbard pursued a presidential bid herself after Senator Bernie Sanders decided not to recontest in 2020, criticizing U.S. military interventions in the Middle East, which she claimed destabilized the region, jeopardized American security, and led to the deaths of thousands of Americans.
She was very critical of Kamala Harris during a primary debate and finally defeated her in that race, though President Joe Biden finally got the nomination.
Although Gabbard once supported President Joe Biden, she later declared herself an independent in 2022, condemning the Democratic Party as being controlled by an “elitist cabal of warmongers” and “woke” ideologues.
Since that moment, she has given her support to several high-profile Republican candidates, become a Fox News contributor, and launched her podcast.
In a move that looks alike, another former Democratic presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., recently gave his support to Trump. Last week, Kennedy, who had formerly campaigned as a Democrat challenging President Joe Biden, put a hold on his campaign and gave his support for Trump in the general election.