Former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard announces she is joining Donald Trump's campaign

Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman who became a darling of Fox News audiences, announced Monday that she was endorsing former President Donald Trump and promised to do everything she could to secure his election.

Appearing on stage with the former president in Detroit, she claimed Trump offered the best chance of pulling the nation back from the 'brink of nuclear war.'

It comes soon after she was recruited by the Trump campaign to help with debate preparation.

And it cements a remarkable journey for an Iraq war veteran who was once seen as a rising star of the Democratic Party.

Democrats said her endorsement was just another example of Trump could only rely on out-of-touch extremists like her and RFK. Jr. 

Tulsi Gabbard , the former Democratic congresswoman who became a darling of Fox News audiences, announced Monday that she was endorsing former President Donald Trump and promised to do everything she could to secure his election

On Monday, Gabbard highlighted Trump's record in the White House as a time of peace.

'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,' she said.

The opposite was true of the Biden administration and Vice President Kamala Harris, she added. 

'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,' she 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, where he can once again serve us as our commander in chief.'

She appeared with Trump at the National Guard Association of the United States on the third anniversary of the suicide bombing at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, which killed 13 U.S. service personnel.

Earlier she accompanied him to Arlington National Cemetery, where Trump laid wreaths in honor of three of the slain service members — Sgt. Nicole Gee, Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss. 

Later, she called on voters of all stripes to get behind Trump's campaign. 

'I am proud to stand here before you today, whether you're a Democrat, a Republican or an Independent, if you love our country as I do, if you cherish peace and freedom as we do, I invite you to join me in doing all that we can to save our country and elect President Donald J. Trump and send him back to the White House to do the tough work of saving our country and serving the people,' she said.

Gabbard appeared alongside the former president at the National Guard Association of the United States' 146th General Conference

Trump stands alongside Bill Barnett (L), whose grandson Staff Sgt Darin Taylor Hoover died at the Abbey Gate Bombing, in Kabul, Afghanistan, during a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery

Trump thanked her for the endorsement.

'Well, thank you, Tulsi, I heard that might happen, but I wasn't sure,' he said. 

'And it happened because she's really an amazing, really an amazing person. So I look forward to working with Tulsi and everybody, everybody in this room.' 

Gabbard, a National Guard veteran, ran for president in 2019. She clashed memorably with Harris as they fought for the Democratic nomination, eventually won by Joe Biden.

She campaigned on a platform that decried U.S. involvement in the Middle East, saying it made the nation less safe, and directed blame at both Republicans and Democrats. 

It was typical of a politician who became known for taking idiosyncratic positions during her time as representative for Hawaii.

In 2019, she was the only lawmaker to vote 'present' during the highly partisan first impeachment of Trump. 

She attracted widespread criticism for meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2017 and touring the city of Aleppo, which had been reduced to rubble by his forces during a brutal civil war. 

Democrats couldn't hide their delight that she had teamed up with Trump.  

DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd: 'Donald Trump’s MAGA brand is so toxic that he's resorted to touting support from off-putting extremists like RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. 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.

'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.'