Tulsi Gabbardformer Democratic leader, officially endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Detroit on Monday, saying she is confident Trump will bring the country back from the brink of war. The endorsement comes days after Trump received the endorsement of former independent candidate RFK Jr. It was previously reported that Donald Trump’s campaign tapped Tulsi for Trump’s debate prep. Gabbard served as the Democratic representative for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021, leaving the party in 2022. Her point of contention with the Democrats has been war, as she has condemned the party she served as an elitist cabal of warmongers.
Tulsi Gabbard ran against Kamala Harris in the 2019 Democratic primary.
When Donald Trump welcomed Tulsi, he called her a true American patriot. “A 17-year veteran of the Hawaii Army National Guard, a four-term Democratic Congresswoman, very, very popular… She was a very good candidate. Every time she ran, she did very well. She decided to leave because she couldn’t handle it anymore, but she’s very special. I didn’t know she was a Lt. Colonel. That’s not bad. Lt. Colonel. I didn’t know that. I just found out and I said, put it down. This is better than anything I’ve read. But no, she’s a special person. She’s got a great mind, a great spirit, she loves the country, the people in the room. Tulsi Gabbard,” Donald Trump introduced her.
In her endorsement speech, Tulsi said she is committed to doing everything she can to return Trump to the White House to serve as commander in chief, because his first task will be to bring America back from the brink of war. “We cannot be prosperous unless we are at peace, and we cannot be free as long as we have an administration that retaliates against its political opponents and undermines our civil liberties by weaponizing our institutions against those they perceive as a threat. Kamala Harris has done this for the past three years. She will not hesitate to do so if elected,” Tulsi said.
Earlier in the day, Tulsi, along with Trump, paid his respects to the soldiers who died in the attack on Abbey Gate in Kabul.
During his presidency, Trump has not started a war and has taken steps to de-escalate and prevent wars, Tulsi Gabbard said, adding that he has shown the courage expected of a commander in chief. The same cannot be said of Kamala Harris, as the incumbent administration has brought America to multiple wars and closer to the brink of nuclear war.
Tulsi Gabbard is often mistaken for being of Indian descent because of her first name, but she had no connection to India. Her mother converted to Hinduism and gave all her children Hindu names. Tulsi also identified as Hindu.