Former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard endorsed former president Donald Trump against Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday.
Gabbard appeared with Trump at a campaign event in Detroit on the third anniversary of the terror attack that killed 13 U.S. service members during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party in 2022, urged Americans of all political stripes to support Trump’s bid for the White House.
“I am proud to stand here before you today, whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, or an 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 all we can to save our country and elect President Donald J. Trump and send him back to the White House to do the tough work of saving our country and serving the people,” Gabbard said.
🚨BREAKING: Former Democrat Rep. @TulsiGabbard just endorsed President Trump, citing the fact that he will keep America out of endless wars:
"I am committed to doing all that I can to send President Trump back to the White House." pic.twitter.com/TtKEp55ptV
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 26, 2024
Gabbard first endorsed Trump last month when President Joe Biden was the presumed Democratic nominee for president. Biden dropped out of the race days later over a feeble performance he delivered during the first Democratic debate — and after facing backlash from Democratic lawmakers, donors, and media members.
“We need leaders back in the White House who are committed to the Constitution, defending our God-given freedoms, and towards a peaceful and prosperous future. Donald Trump and JD Vance are such leaders, and I look forward to doing all I can to get them elected in November,” Gabbard posted on X on July 16.
Trump has worked with Gabbard to prepare to debate Harris. Gabbard ran against Harris in the Democratic presidential primary in 2020 and gained national attention for sharply criticizing the Democratic Party. Gabbard was also instrumental in ending Harris’ own candidacy at the time by attacking Harris’ record as a state prosecutor in California.
“She put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations, and then laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana,” Gabbard said at the time. “She blocked evidence that would have freed an innocent man from death row until the courts forced her to do so. She kept people in prison beyond their sentences to use them as cheap labor for the state of California. And she fought to keep a bail system in place that impacts poor people in the worst kind of way.”