Former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard endorses Trump in 2024 presidential race

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii), who left the Democratic Party in 2022, announced Monday she is endorsing former President Trump in November’s election.

Gabbard, who has become a regular presence in conservative media, made the announcement during a National Guard Association gathering in Michigan where Trump was also speaking.

“This [current] administration has us 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 said. “This is one of the main reasons why I am committed to doing all that I can to send President Trump back to the White House, where he can once again serve us as our commander in chief.”

Gabbard ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign in the Democratic primary in 2020. In the years since ending her bid, she has exited Congress, left the Democratic Party and appeared at events such as the Conservative Political Action Conference.

The former congresswoman has huddled with Trump in recent weeks as part of preparations for next month’s scheduled debate between the former president and Vice President Harris, the Democratic nominee.

Arguably the most notable moment of Gabbard’s unsuccessful 2020 White House bid was when she attacked Harris on the debate stage over her record as a prosecutor.

Gabbard’s endorsement comes days after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his independent White House bid and backed Trump, which the former president’s campaign touted as a significant development in battleground states.

“Gabbard and Trump have a lot in common – they have both earned the praises of white supremacists and other extremists, celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and campaigned for dangerous election deniers,” Democratic National Committee spokesperson Alexis Floyd said in a statement. “Rather than focusing on earning the support of hardworking Americans, Trump is more fixated on winning the backing of extremists like Gabbard and RFK Jr. – and they’ll do nothing but weigh down his sinking ship of a campaign.”

Updated at 7:18 p.m.