Tulsi Gabbard endorses Trump: Why the former Hawaii Democrat is backing him

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who ran for president as a Democrat just four years ago, endorsed former President Donald Trump’s bid for the White House on Monday at the National Guard Association’s annual meeting in Michigan.

Gabbard, a National Guard veteran who has served in two tours of duty in the Middle East, made the announcement on the third anniversary of the suicide bombing at the main airport outside of Kabul in Afghanistan, killing 13 U.S. service members and more than 150 Afghans.

“This administration has us facing multiple wars on multiple fronts and 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’m committed to doing all that I can to send President Trump back to the White House.”

Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery honoring the 13 servicemembers killed during the U.S. exit, then later in Detroit blamed Kamala Harris , the vice president, and President Joe Biden for what he termed a “catastrophic” withdrawal.

“Caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, the humiliation in Afghanistan set off the collapse of American credibility and respect all over the world,” Trump said in an address to the National Guard Association of the United States.

A review released by the U.S. State Department in 2023 found fault with both the Trump and Biden administrations in the run-up to the withdrawal, according to Reuters.

Trump praised Gabbard’s military service while speaking before the National Guard annual meeting, highlighting her rank as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve and her multiple overseas deployments.

“Every time she ran, she was good. She did well. She decided to leave, she couldn’t take it anymore. But she is very special,” Trump said. “And I didn’t know this, but she is a lieutenant colonel. That’s not bad. Lieutenant colonel? Not bad. I didn’t know that, you know? I just found out. I said, ‘put it down. You gotta put that down’ [in his speech]. That’s better than all the other stuff I read.”

More: Tulsi Gabbard has shed her old Democratic policy stances. Is it a push to serve with Donald Trump?

Gabbard’s foreign policy views have long been shaped by her experiences as a combat veteran and consistently reflect her anti-interventionist stance. She has been a vocal critic of U.S. involvement in conflicts like those in Syria and Afghanistan and has also opposed military aid to Ukraine.

Gabbard has also reportedly been helping Trump prepare for an upcoming debate against Harris. The two women famously clashed during the 2020 Democratic primary before both ultimately dropped out and endorsed Biden . Reuters contributed to the reporting of this story.

Jeremy Yurow is a politics reporting fellow based in Hawaii for the USA TODAY Network. You can reach him at JYurow@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter @JeremyYurow

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tulsi Gabbard endorses Trump: Why the former Hawaii Democrat is backing him