Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman who became a darling of Fox News audiences, announced Monday her endorsement of former President Donald Trump and vowed to do everything she could to secure his election.
Appearing onstage with the former president in Detroit, she claimed that Trump offered the best chance to pull the country back from “the brink of nuclear war.”
It comes shortly after she was recruited by the Trump campaign to help prepare for the debate.
And it confirms a remarkable journey for an Iraq War veteran once seen as a rising star of the Democratic Party.
On Monday, Gabbard called Trump’s appearance in the White House a time of peace.
Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman who became a darling of Fox News audiences, announced Monday that she was endorsing former President Donald Trump and vowed to do everything she could to secure his election.
“He showed the courage we expect from our commander in chief, using all diplomatic means and having the courage to meet adversaries, dictators, allies and partners in the pursuit of peace, seeing war as a last resort,” she said.
The opposite was true for the Biden administration and Vice President Kamala Harris, she added.
“This administration is ensuring that we are facing wars on multiple fronts and in multiple regions of the world, and that we are closer to the brink of nuclear war than ever before,” she said.
“This is one of the most important reasons why I will do everything in my power to return President Trump to the White House, where he can once again serve us as our commander in chief.”
She appeared with Trump at the National Guard Association of the United States on the third anniversary of the suicide bombing at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, that killed 13 U.S. service members.
Earlier, she accompanied him to Arlington National Cemetery, where Trump laid wreaths in honor of three of the fallen service members: Sgt. Nicole Gee, Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss.
She later called on voters of all persuasions to support Trump’s campaign.
“I am proud to stand before you today, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, if you love our country as I do, if you cherish peace and freedom as we do, I invite you to join me in doing everything we can to save our country and elect President Donald J. Trump and send him back to the White House to do the hard work of saving our country and serving the people,” she said.
Trump thanked her for her support.
“Well, thank you, Tulsi. I had heard that it could happen, but I wasn’t sure,” he said.
Gabbard appeared with the former president at the 146th Annual General Conference of the National Guard Association of the United States
Trump stands next to Bill Barnett (left), whose grandson Staff Sgt Darin Taylor Hoover was killed in the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery
“And it happened because she’s a really, really great person. So I’m looking forward to working with Tulsi and everybody, everybody in this room.”
Gabbard, a veteran of the National Guard, ran for president in 2019. She clashed memorably with Harris as they battled for the Democratic nomination, which was ultimately won by Joe Biden.
She campaigned on a platform condemning U.S. involvement in the Middle East, saying it made the nation less safe, and blaming both Republicans and Democrats.
It was typical of a politician who became known for her idiosyncratic views during her time as a Hawaiian representative.
In 2019, she was the only lawmaker to vote “present” during Trump’s highly partisan first impeachment trial.
She was widely criticized for meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2017 and touring the city of Aleppo, which had been reduced to rubble by his forces during a bloody civil war.