Tulsi Gabbard, a former congresswoman who briefly faced off against Donald Trump in the 2020 Democratic primary before pulling away from the party, has formally endorsed Trump’s presidential candidacy.
In the crucial swing state of Michigan, on Monday, Trump welcomed Ms. Gabbard, 43, to a Detroit stage.
Due to the Democratic Party’s “wokeness,” Ms. Gabbard left in 2022. Since then, she has become a frequent and vocal guest on Fox News.
Using the occasion to bash the Biden administration, she appeared with Trump to honor US service members slain in an attack in Afghanistan three years earlier.
Over a hundred Afghans and thirteen US service members perished in the suicide attack at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport.
The incident happened when the Taliban reclaimed power and American forces began a disorganized departure from the nation.
It was a “humiliation,” according to Donald, and it “started the collapse of American credibility and respect all around the world.”
Earlier in the day, he was joined at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia to commemorate the American lives lost by Ms. Gabbard, a war veteran.
Between 2013 and 2021, Ms. Gabbard’s tenure in Congress saw her criticizing US military interventionism on several occasions.
At the Michigan rally on Monday, Ms. Gabbard made an appeal to voters of all stripes, saying that it was a question of “saving our country and serving the people” and urging them to support Trump in November.
Tulsi Gabbard started her incredible political career on the progressive left of the Democratic Party and ended it with her official support of Trump over the past ten years.
After becoming the first Hindu member of the US Congress, she went on to lead the Democratic National Committee as vice-chairwoman, but she resigned in order to support Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign.
In 2020, Ms. Gabbard entered the presidential race, promoting liberal causes like free college education, government-run healthcare, and gun control.
However, Joe Biden emerged as the Democratic nominee and ultimately won the presidency in that year. After leaving the party after two years, Ms. Gabbard claimed that “cowardly wokeness” was to blame for the party’s demise.
Early in 2024, she was praising Trump, the opponent of Joe Biden who will face Kamala Harris in the presidential race this time around.
She issued a warning about an increasing threat to American democracy, claiming that the left-wing’s prosecution of Trump was the source of this threat.
In the months that followed, there were even rumors that Ms. Gabbard might be considered as Trump’s possible running mate in November; nevertheless, JD Vance ended up winning the position.
She started contributing regularly to Fox News after leaving the Democratic Party, and Ukrainian officials have accused her of “promoting Russian propaganda.”
Days before to Ms. Gabbard’s remarks, another Democratic defector, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., endorsed Trump. Last week, Kennedy Jr. announced the suspension of his independent presidential candidacy.
Leading Democrats quickly discounted Ms. Gabbard’s recommendation.
The party’s Rapid Response Director, Alex Floyd, released a statement saying, “Trump is more fixated on winning the backing of extremists like Gabbard and RFK Jr — and they’ll do nothing but weigh down his sinking ship of a campaign.” Instead of focusing on winning the support of hardworking Americans, Floyd said.