Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has endorsed Donald Trump, furthering her shift away from the party she sought to represent in the 2020 presidential election and linking herself to critiques of Vice President Kamala Harris and the chaotic Afghanistan War withdrawal. Gabbard, a National Guard veteran who served two tours of duty in the Middle East before representing Hawaii in the House, said Trump "understands the grave responsibility that a president and commander in chief bears for every single one of our lives," per the AP.
Gabbard appeared with Trump in Detroit on Monday at the National Guard Association of the United States on the third anniversary of the 2021 suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport, which killed 13 US service members and more than 100 Afghans. Gabbard, now an independent, 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 US 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 was known during her four House terms for taking positions at odds with her own party's establishment. She was an early and vocal supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential primary run, which made her popular with progressives. Not seeking reelection in 2020, Gabbard ran for president herself instead, saying that US wars in the Middle East destabilized the region, made the US 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. Also Monday, Trump's team said Gabbard would moderate a town hall with Trump on Thursday in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
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