Former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party two years ago, on Aug. 26 endorsed former President Donald Trump for president.
Her support was announced days after Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democrat-turned-independent, suspended his presidential campaign and backed Trump.
Gabbard, a U.S. Army reserve officer who represented Hawaii in Congress, made the endorsement while speaking at the National Guard Association Conference in Detroit.
“I know that President Trump understands the grave responsibility that a president and commander-in-chief bears for every single one of our lives, whether you’re a soldier, you’re an airman, a Marine, sailor, or a Coastie. He keeps us in his heart, in the decisions that he makes,” she said on Aug. 26.
Gabbard went on to say that no new wars began during Trump’s term, which ran from January 2017 to January 2021.
She said the Biden–Harris administration, which has been dealing with wars from Ukraine to the Middle East, is bringing the world “closer to the brink of nuclear war than we ever have been before.”
Trump, on the other hand, would “walk us back from the brink of war,” Gabbard said.
The former president, who was at the conference, thanked Gabbard for the endorsement.
“I heard that might happen, but I wasn’t sure,” Trump said.
Calling her “an amazing person,” Trump said he looks forward to working with Gabbard, although he did not specify in what capacity.
Gabbard, who ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, left the party in 2022 and has voiced support for Trump, appearing at conservative events such as the Conservative Political Action Conference, AmericaFest, and the Faith and Freedom Summit.
Trump and Kennedy appeared together at a campaign rally in Arizona on Aug. 23. If he wins reelection, Trump pledged to appoint Kennedy to a new federal panel on chronic disease.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.
At the Democratic National Convention, Democrats showcased several Republicans endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) took the podium on Aug. 22.
“I know Kamala Harris shares my allegiance to the rule of law, the Constitution, and democracy, and she is dedicated to upholding all three in service to our country. Whatever policies we disagree on pale in comparison with those fundamental matters of principle, of decency, and of fidelity to this nation,” he said.
The previous day, former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan said, “If Republicans are being intellectually honest with ourselves, our party is not civil or conservative.”
