Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, looks on as former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, speaks at the National Guard Association of the United States' 146th General Conference, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Detroit. (AP/Carolyn Kaster)
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/16173534/highlights-banner-blue-300x94-1.png)
- Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat, endorses Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
- Gabbard condemns the Democratic Party, calling it an "elitist cabal of warmongers."
- Gabbard praises Trump’s leadership and commemorates fallen service members with him at Arlington Cemetery.
Share
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has endorsed Donald Trump’s presidential bid, furthering her shift away from the party she sought to represent four years ago and linking herself to the GOP nominee’s critiques of Vice President Kamala Harris and the chaotic Afghanistan War withdrawal.
Gabbard Endorses Trump
Appearing Monday with Trump in Detroit, Gabbard, a National Guard veteran who served two tours of duty in the Middle East, said that the GOP nominee “understands the grave responsibility that a president and commander in chief bears for every single one of our lives.”
Related Story: Vance Defends Tariffs, Claims Trump Would Veto a National Abortion Ban
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, which killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 100 Afghans. Gabbard accompanied Trump earlier Monday to Arlington National Cemetery, when the former president laid wreaths in honor of three of the slain 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 alike in the pursuit of peace, seeing war as a last resort.” She condemned the Democratic White House for the U.S. now “facing multiple wars on multiple fronts in regions around the world and closer to the brink of nuclear war than we ever have been before.”
Gabbard Long Signaled Support for Trump
Gabbard has long signaled some level of support for Trump, even while she sat in the U.S. House as a Democrat. In 2019, she was the only lawmaker to vote “present” when the House of Representatives impeached Trump for his dealings with Ukraine.
Related Story: Trump Threatens to Skip Debate as Harris Campaign Pushes for Live Microphones
Gabbard’s endorsement of the rival nominee to her former party represents a polar swing from her position as a Democrat representing Hawaii in the U.S. House, although Gabbard was known during her four terms for taking positions at odds with her own party’s establishment. She was an early and vocal supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Democratic presidential primary run, which made her popular with progressives.
Not seeking reelection in 2020, Gabbard ran for president herself instead, saying U.S. wars in the Middle East destabilized the region, made the U.S. less safe and cost thousands of American lives, and that Democrats and Republicans shared the blame. She tore into Harris’ record 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 high-profile Republicans, become a contributor to Fox News and started a podcast.
Related Story: On Truth Social, Donald Trump Tries to Refashion Himself as Supportive of ...
Another former Democratic presidential contender also just recently endorsed Trump. Last week, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who last year ran as a Democrat challenging President Joe Biden for the nomination — suspended his campaign and said he was backing Trump in the general election.
RELATED TOPICS:
Oakhurst Man Arrested for Deadwood Mountain Arson Fires
2 hours ago
Go-Kart Driver Killed in Fresno County Hit-and-Run Identified
4 hours ago
Uber Fined $324 Million by Dutch Watchdog Over Driver Data Protection
4 hours ago
10-Foot Python Found During Vallejo Sideshow Bust
4 hours ago
Special Counsel Urges Appeals Court to Reinstate Classified Documents Case Against Trump
4 hours ago
Unusual Origin Found for Asteroid That Killed the Dinosaurs
5 hours ago
Feds Arrest Army Soldier for Using AI to Make Child Porn
5 hours ago
Receiver CeeDee Lamb Agrees to 4-Year, $136M Deal With Cowboys, AP Sources Say
2 hours ago
Categories
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/09165208/AP24206580005652-1024x576.jpg)
Receiver CeeDee Lamb Agrees to 4-Year, $136M Deal With Cowboys, AP Sources Say
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170038/Attendees-in-a-walkway-at-the-Republican-National-Convention-at-the-Fiserv-Forum-in-Milwaukee-on-July-17-2024.-When-right-wingers-pursue-policies-that-mire-children-in-poverty-it-takes-gall-to--1024x538.jpg)
Republicans Are Right: One Party Is ‘Anti-Family and Anti-Kid’
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26164656/shutterstock_2160056179-1024x576.jpg)
LA to Pay More Than $38M for Failing to Make Affordable Housing Accessible
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26162337/Authorities-have-arrested-Pao-Xiong-68-of-Oakhurst-on-fourteen-felony-counts-of-arson-in-connection-with-the-Deadwood-Mountain-Arson-Series-that-burned-11-acres-and-four-structures.-Madera-Cou-1024x538.jpg)
Oakhurst Man Arrested for Deadwood Mountain Arson Fires
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26152722/2015_toyota_tacoma_1280X720-1024x576.jpg)
Go-Kart Driver Killed in Fresno County Hit-and-Run Identified
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26151308/Ubers-corporate-headquarters-in-San-Francisco-on-July-15-2024.-Uber-faces-a-fine-of-290-million-euros-or-more-than-324-million-over-a-violation-of-European-Union-rules-that-protect-data-priva-1024x538.jpg)