Former Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard says she would be “honored” to serve as former President Donald Trump’s running mate if given the chance to join the Republican ticket for November.
During an appearance on the “Triggered” podcast of Mr. Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., Ms. Gabbard, who ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, said she would relish the chance to serve alongside Mr. Trump.
“I would be honored to serve my country in that way,” she said. “I’d be honored to actually be in a position to help President Trump to execute his policies — bringing the experience I have had being on the front lines of many of these battles and actually understanding what we are up against.”
“So whether you are talking about securing the border, reducing inflation, improving our economy, stopping these Democrats and establishment Republicans, stopping these warmongers, from continuing to push us closer and closer to war, not just in one country, but in multiple regions across the world,” she said, “these are things [that], if I had the opportunity and privilege of being able to serve and support President Trump in actually executing these policies, I would be honored to do so.”
Mr. Trump, who has all but sewn up the Republican nomination for a second race with President Biden, has been coy about his running mate plans, opening the door to all sorts of speculation over his choice and how he will decide.
Once considered a rising Democratic Party star, Ms. Gabbard represented Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District from 2013 to 2021. She also served as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2013 to 2016 before she resigned to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential bid.
Ms. Gabbard’s quest for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination was short-lived. She endorsed Mr. Biden after suspending her campaign. Since then, she has fought to stay relevant on the national stage.
Ms. Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022, saying it’s “now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness.”
She has become a regular voice on the conservative media circuit and addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference last month. There, she accused the Democratic elite of trying to destroy democracy by doing everything possible to stop Mr. Trump from winning The White House.
“I’ve met a lot of strong, tough, people in my life, I can’t think of a single one who could not only withstand all they are throwing at Donald Trump without crumbling,” she said at CPAC. ” … Now I have known Joe Biden for a long time. I used to consider him a friend. Do you think he could handle this pressure? I don’t think so.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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