Former Democratic Party candidate for president Tulsi Gabbard announced she is joining the Republican Party at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump in Greensboro, North Carolina, yesterday.
Gabbard served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021, representing Hawaii, where she earned a lifetime score on The New American’s Freedom Index of 29 percent. Gabbard ran in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary before dropping out in March, 2020 and endorsing Joe Biden.
Gabbard spoke about how today’s Democratic Party has weaponized law enforcement against their political opponents. She also stated Trump has promised to end wars, unlike the Democratic Party, which has become the party of the military industrial complex and endless wars. She said Trump has transformed the Republican Party, and brought it “back to the party of the people, and the party of peace,” stating in the campaign rally speech:
Aloha. You know I was a Democrat for over 20 years…. Today’s Democrat Party is completely unrecognizable, which points to the clear choice we have in this election today. When you look at the party of Kamala Harris, for example, she is anti-freedom, she is pro-censorship, she is pro-open borders, and she is pro-war. Without even pretending to care about peace, as President Trump talked about, she has shamelessly embraced the endorsement and support of warmongers like Dick Cheney, and Liz Cheney, and others who care more about power and feeding the military industrial complex than they care about you, the American people, and peace.
President Trump has pledged to end wars, not start them. And this is why in the eyes of the Kamala Harris, Dick Cheney Democrat Party they will do everything possible to try to destroy him. You’ll see how they have weaponized the federal government, they have weaponized law enforcement, the Department of Justice, they have done everything possible to try to silence him, to try and remove him from the ballot so we the people don’t even have the choice to [vote for] who we want to vote for. Why have they done this? Because this man has the courage to take them on and root out the deep rot of corruption in the swamp in Washington….
Now to those of you here, or those watching at home who are independent-minded people like myself, who love our country and are committed to the Constitution and to freedom, the Democrat Party has no home for people like us. But we do have a home in the Republican Party, where we are welcomed with open arms by President Trump and so many of you who love our country. And it is because of my love for our country, and specifically because of the leadership that President Trump has brought to transform the Republican Party and bring it back to the party of the people, and the party of peace, that I am proud to stand here with you today, President Trump, and announce that I am joining the Republican Party.
I’m joining the party of the people, the party of equality, the party that was founded to fight against and end slavery in this country, it is the party of common sense and the party that is led by a president who has the courage and strength to fight for peace.
As we stand here today, we have 14 days until the most historic election of our lives, and my message to my fellow Americans regardless of your political affiliation: Now is the time for us to stand together to save our country.
Trump responded to Gabbard’s announcement, stating, “Wow, I didn’t know that, I didn’t know that. Thank you very much. Tulsi that’s great. Wow, that was a surprise, that was really — she’s been independent for a long time. It’s a great thing, a great honor, thank you very much Tulsi. And what a beautiful speech she made, right, wasn’t that beautiful?”
Representative Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) responded to Gabbard’s announcement, welcoming her and writing that the Republican Party is the party of the people, and the party of equality, peace, and common sense, stating in a post on X:
