Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress, has endorsed Republican candidate Donald Trump in the US presidential election.
Gabbard, who served in the military in Iraq, ran for president in the Democratic primary in 2020. He left the party two years later and has become a fixture at conservative conferences and right-wing media.
Speaking at the National Guard Association conference in Detroit, Michigan, where Trump spoke, Gabbard said, “This administration is faced with multiple wars on multiple fronts around the world and closer to the brink of nuclear war than ever before.
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“That’s one of the main reasons I’m committed to doing everything I can to send President Trump back to the White House, where he can once again serve us as our commander-in-chief. Because I’m sure his first job will be to do the job of leading us back from the brink of war.“
Gabbard, who represented Hawaii in Congress and is a former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, accused Democratic candidate Kamala Harris of retaliating against political opponents, undermining civil liberties and arming American institutions against both Trump and herself.
“We Americans must stand together to fight this anti-liberty culture of political revenge and abuse of power,” he added.
Gabbard’s announcement comes a day after Robert F Kennedy Jr, scion of a Democratic dynasty, suspended his own bid for the White House and threw his weight behind Trump. Elon Musk, who describes himself as a “historically moderate Democrat,” also supports the former president.
Democrats rejected Gabbard’s endorsement. Alex Floyd, director of rapid action at the Democratic National Committee, said: “Donald Trump’s Maga brand is so toxic that he has resorted to supporting knock-off extremists like RFK Jr and Tulsi Gabbard. Gabbard and Trump have a lot in common – they both deserve white supremacy the praise of supporters and other extremists, celebrating the overturning of Roe v Wade, and campaigning for the denialists of dangerous elections.
Trump, who has portrayed Harris as a far leftist, told the crowd Monday: “This fight is no longer between Democrats and Republicans. This is a fight between communism and freedom.
“It’s a very serious fight. That’s why millions of traditional Democrats, including FDR Democrats, JFK Democrats, independents and old-fashioned liberals are joining the movement. Our polling numbers are great.“
Trump admitted he had not known Gabbard had served as an Army lieutenant colonel. “He is a special person, she added. “He has good common sense, a great spirit. He loves our country and the people in this room.”
Gabbard has recently been helping Trump prepare for next month’s televised presidential debate against Harris. In 2020, he took Harris to task on the debate stage about his work as a prosecutor — a clip that continues to circulate in right-wing media.
Trump, who earlier laid wreaths in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, marked the third anniversary of a suicide bombing that killed 13 members of the US military as they withdrew from Afghanistan. “The humiliation of Afghanistan caused a collapse of America’s credibility and respect around the world,” he said in Detroit, trying to blame Harris and Joe Biden for the deaths.
In his own statement to mark the anniversary of the Kabul airport attack, Harris said he was mourning the 13 dead soldiers. “My prayers are with their families and loved ones,” he added. “My heart breaks for their pain and loss.”
