Former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard opened up about her decision to endorse former President Trump in the 2024 race over Vice President Kamala Harris.
Gabbard officially endorsed Trump on Monday at the National Guard Association of the United States' 146th General Conference in Detroit, hours after the former president laid wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery to honor the lives of 13 U.S. service members who were killed in a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate in 2021.
"We know how important it is to have a commander-in-chief who values every single one of our lives and who has the strength and the courage to exercise all means of diplomacy, meeting with dictators, allies, adversaries, partners in the pursuit of peace, recognizing that war is always and should always be a last resort," Gabbard, an Iraq War veteran, said on "The Ingraham Angle."
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"I endorsed President Trump today because he has those qualities, and he's proven that he is that commander-in-chief. Kamala Harris has proven she is not. We are closer to the brink of nuclear war now than ever before, closer to World War III because of Harris and Biden and their policies."
The former Democratic 2020 presidential candidate took aim at Harris' leadership, questioning if she called the families of those who were killed or injured in the suicide blast three years ago.
"There was a triple amputee there today [at Arlington] to honor the loss of his brothers and sisters. Has she called them to apologize? To apologize for the decision that they made that resulted in this disastrous withdrawal? And an explosion and an attack that took these 13 service members' lives that was completely preventable? Kamala Harris is completely unfit to serve as our commander-in-chief," Gabbard told guest host Judge Jeanine Pirro.
In a 2021 interview with CNN, Harris said she was the last person in the room when President Biden made the decision to pull out of Afghanistan.
Both Harris and Biden released statements Monday on the three-year anniversary of the bombing, honoring the 13 service members who were killed by name.
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"Today and every day, I mourn and honor them. My prayers are with their families and loved ones. My heart breaks for their pain and their loss. These 13 devoted patriots represent the best of America, putting our beloved nation and their fellow Americans above themselves and deploying into danger to keep their fellow citizens safe," a statement from Harris read in part.
Gabbard added that as a veteran, the choice in November for her is clear. "I love our country. I cherish peace and freedom, and I'm supporting Donald Trump in this election so that he can be our commander-in-chief once again," she said.
"It's not about Democrats versus Republicans. It's about having a president who stands for freedom, peace and prosperity, which is Donald Trump, versus having a president in Kamala Harris, who attacks our freedoms and censors us and uses political retaliation, who has pushed us to the brink of war and who's created this economic hardship for Americans across the country. That's really the choice that we have before us."
