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Former Democratic presidential candidate and Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s political journey has changed dramatically, from once a prominent figure in the Hawaii Democratic Party to now an ardent defender of Donald Trump’s foreign policy. This change has not gone unnoticed by MAGA Republicans, the former president, and his inner circle.
The former Democratic darling is currently scheduled to give the keynote speech at Mar-a-Lago’s fundraising dinner on March 7th, with ticket prices ranging from $1,250 to $25,000, and her future in the Trump administration. Feverish speculation is mounting about the potential role of
The Republican front-runner joins five others at a Fox News City Council meeting in February: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswami, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and South Dakota Gov. Christie. , confirmed that Gabbard is on the list of vice presidential candidates. Noem and Florida Representative Byron Donald.
Colin Moore, a political science professor at the University of Hawaii, said Gabbard is a “unique figure in American politics.”
“It’s hard to find someone comparable to Tulsi Gabbard. She’s been embraced by evangelical Christians and progressives at various times, and now she’s like Donald Trump himself,” Moore said. Ta. “No one can explain this more accurately than Tulsi Gabbard.”
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The fundraiser happens to be the same night as President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, and Trump is considering responding in person from his Mar-a-Lago home, according to NBC News.
Gabbard, 42, took to the stage at the Conservative People’s Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, in February and expressed her pro-Trump sentiments, equating Democrats with “evil people” and “dictators.” resonated with me.
“Today, elite Democratic leaders are saying in one voice, with great concern, that they warn us that if Americans re-elect Donald Trump, he will destroy our democracy. We are seeing that,” Gabbard said in a speech. “The perpetrators of this attack are those who seek to destroy our democracy in the name of saving it.”
Such comments were unthinkable in 2012, when Gabbard was seeking to establish herself within Democratic circles both in Hawaii and nationally before winning the Aloha State’s No. 2 seat until December 2021. I wouldn’t have been able to do it.
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Gabbard previously served as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2013 to 2016, but ultimately resigned in 2016 to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders (R-Vermont) for president. . Gabbard is running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. However, she withdrew her candidacy in March 2020 and she ceded her support to Joe Biden.
But over time, she became an outspoken critic of the Democratic Party, citing reasons such as “increasing wokeness, racism, and intolerance.”
Gabbard I tweeted the video In 2022, he said, he can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party, which he said is “now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by a vile wokeness.”
Gabbard said in a one-minute video that Democrats are divisive by racializing the issue and “inciting anti-white racism.” She said she believes leftist parties are working to “undermine the God-given freedoms” enshrined in the Constitution.
She called on her “common sense, independent-minded fellow Democrats” to help her secede from the Democratic Party.
“If you can no longer stand the direction these so-called woke Democratic ideologues are taking this country, please join me,” she said.
The change opened up new political opportunities for her, where she appeared frequently on Fox News and even filled in for former host Tucker Carlson. In 2022, she officially left the Democratic Party, marking an important turning point in her political allegiance.
“I think…the biggest question about Tulsi Gabbard is how much of this is admirable independence and how much of this is opportunism,” Moore said. “But, you know, this is a political story that people like to cover because it’s so unusual.”
The former congresswoman placed third in a straw vote at CPAC, with 9% of attendees voting for her as President Trump’s running mate.
“I understand what motivates him, and it has nothing to do with what the Washington establishment is accusing him of,” Gabbard said. “This is a fighter. His strength and resilience can only come from one thing: a sincere love for his country.”
Gabbard did not respond to USA Today’s request for comment.
Jeremy Yurow is a political reporting fellow at the USA TODAY Network based in Hawaii. He can be reached at JYurow@gannett.com or X @JeremyYurow.
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