Former US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party in 2022, officially announced her endorsement of former President Donald Trump on Monday in the upcoming presidential polls in November, media reported.
Gabbard, who has become a regular presence in conservative media, announced a National Guard Association gathering in Michigan where Trump was also speaking, The Hill reported.
"This 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," she added.
"She's a special person," Trump praised Gabbard, 43, by way of introduction.
"She's got great common sense, great spirit. She loves our country and she loves the people in this room."
On Monday, Gabbard said that 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."
"We saw this through his first term in the presidency, when he not only didn't start any new wars, he took action to de-escalate and prevent wars. He exercised the courage that we expect from our Commander-in-Chief in exhausting all measures of diplomacy, having the courage to meet with adversaries, dictators, allies and partners alike in the pursuit of peace, seeing war as a last resort," Gabbard added.
Both Trump and Gabbard appeared at the National Guard Association of the US on the third anniversary of the August 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport, which killed 13 US service members and more than 100 Afghans, The Hill reported.
Gabbard accompanied Trump earlier on Monday to Arlington National Cemetery, when the former President laid wreaths in honour of three of the slain service members — Sergeant Nicole Gee, Staff Sergeant Darin Hoover and Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss.
Notably, Gabbard ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign in the Democratic primary in 2020. After ending her bid, she exited Congress, left the Democratic Party and appeared at events like the Conservative Political Action Conference, The Hill reported.
The former Congresswoman has huddled with Trump in recent weeks as part of preparations for next month's scheduled debate between Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Arguably the most notable moment of Gabbard's unsuccessful 2020 White House bid was when she attacked Vice President 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.
This comes days after the New York Times reported that Trump has brought in Tulsi Gabbard to help sharpen his attacks in the debate against Kamala Harris.
Gabbard reportedly joined Trump's practice session at the latter's private club and home, Mar-a-Lago.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are set to face off in the ABC News debate on September 10.
Notably, Gabbard brings some key qualities to Trump's role: She's a woman, at a moment when Trump is for a second time facing a woman as his general election rival; she's a former House member, giving her policy experience; and, perhaps most importantly for Trump, she has been on a debate stage with Harris and delivered a stinging attack against her record as a prosecutor, New York Times reported.
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