Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has endorsed Donald Trump for president, taking a step further away from the party she sought to represent four years ago and aligning herself with the Republican candidate’s criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris and the chaotic withdrawal from the war in Afghanistan.
Gabbard, a National Guard veteran who served twice in the Middle East, appeared with Trump in Detroit on Monday, saying the GOP nominee “understands the great responsibility that a president and commander in chief bears for each and every one of us.”
The pair 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 to Arlington National Cemetery earlier on Monday, when the former president laid wreaths in honor of three of the fallen service members — Sgt. Nicole Gee, Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss.
On Monday, Gabbard praised Trump for “having the courage to meet with adversaries, dictators, allies and partners in the pursuit of peace, and seeing war as a last resort.” She condemned the Democratic White House for leaving the US “facing multiple wars on multiple fronts in regions around the world and closer to the brink of nuclear war than ever before.”
Gabbard has long signaled some 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 endorsement of her former party’s rival nominee represents a polar shift from her position as a Democrat representing Hawaii in the U.S. House of Representatives, though Gabbard has been known for taking positions at odds with her own party’s establishment during her four terms. She was an early and vocal supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Democratic presidential primary, making her popular with progressives.
Not seeking reelection in 2020, Gabbard instead ran for president. She said America’s wars in the Middle East were destabilizing the region, making the U.S. less safe and costing thousands of American lives, and that Democrats and Republicans shared the blame. She tore Harris’ record to shreds during a primary debate and ultimately outlasted her 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 prominent Republicans, become a contributor to Fox News and started a podcast.
Another former Democratic presidential candidate also recently endorsed Trump. Last week, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who ran as a Democrat to replace Joe Biden as president last year — suspended his campaign and said he would back Trump in the general election.
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Kinnard reported from Chapin, South Carolina, and can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP. McAvoy reported from Honolulu, Hawaii.
