Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) warned Donald Trump on Sunday that Kamala Harris “should not be underestimated” during an ABC News debate next week.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Gabbard was asked to weigh in on whether the vice president could prove to be a challenge to former President Trump on the debate stage, as the Harris campaign has said they expect him to be a “terrible opponent.”
“Yeah, I think Kamala Harris has a lot of experience,” Gabbard responded. “He is not to be underestimated.”
Gabbard argued that the debate will provide voters with an opportunity to compare and contrast the two candidates’ records, noting Harris’ four years as vice president in Joe Biden’s administration.
Gabbard has been helping Trump prepare for the Sept. 10 runoff. The former Hawaii congressman shared the stage with Harris in a debate during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, when he was also running for president. He suspended in March 2020 and offered Biden his “full support”.
In her CNN interview, Gabbard suggested that Trump should focus on developing Harris’s political views since she was a candidate in the primary.
“If there’s any way I can be of assistance to President Trump, it’s really just sharing the experiences I had with him on the debate stage in 2020 and frankly helping to point out the ways that Kamala Harris has already shown that she’s trying to move away from her record, move away from her positions and how it contradicts his position and his statement now that he’s the Democratic nominee,” he told CNN.
Gabbard, who announced she would leave the Democratic Party in October 2022, endorsed Trump last month despite previously calling him “corrupt.”
Gabbard was reportedly on Trump’s list of vice presidential nominees before he ultimately chose Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R). Trump has named her a member of his presidential transition team, and Gabbard also moderated a town hall with the former president last week in Wisconsin.
Gabbard has previously expressed interest in serving in a possible second Trump administration, possibly as secretary of state or defense, but told CNN’s Dana Bash that she hasn’t had a chance to discuss the possibility with Trump himself because he remains focused on helping. he secured victory in November.
Meanwhile, Trump has again left the door open to pulling out of the ABC conversation at the last minute, claiming the network is unfair and has “terrible” reporters.
“ABC is probably the worst in terms of fairness,” Trump said in an interview broadcast Sunday to Fox News’ Mark Levin.
The discussion is scheduled to take place in Philadelphia and will be moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis.
