Tulsi Gabbard Announces Switch to GOP

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Facts

  • Tulsi Gabbard, who served in Congress as a Democrat before becoming an independent, Tuesday announced on stage during a North Carolina rally with former Pres. Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, that she's formally joining the Republican Party.[1]
  • In her speech, Gabbard referred to the GOP as the 'party of the people,' of 'equality,' and the one that 'end[ed] slavery' in the US. She further claimed that Trump wanted 'peace,' while asserting that his Democratic opponent, Vice Pres. Kamala Harris, is 'pro-war.'[2]
  • Gabbard represented Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District from 2013-2021 as a Democrat before switching to an independent in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August, around the same time fellow former Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsed him.[3]
  • Trump, who was standing next to Gabbard during her speech, said it was a 'surprise' because 'she's been independent for a long time.'[4]
  • This comes as Harris has been campaigning with Republican Liz Cheney, who previously served in Congress representing Wyoming. The Harris campaign this week said Cheney, the daughter of former Vice Pres. Dick Cheney, was joining her to 'warn about the risk of a second Trump term.'[4]

Sources: [1]FOX News, [2]Time, [3]Townhall and [4]Newsweek.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by WesternJournal.com. Gabbard joining the GOP makes sense given what her old party has become. Gabbard supports real Americans, while Harris supports a small group of elites. Most importantly, Gabbard supports peace while Harris — as Cheney's endorsement proves — wants to continue endless wars. Republicans will take Gabbard's America First mentality over Cheney any day.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by Salon. Gabbard is joining Team Trump for one reason — her disdain for America's role in defending democracy. She's defended the actions of dictators for over a decade now — including Russia's Vladimir Putin — and hopes to use a potential second Trump term to promote her beliefs even further. Gabbard's bad-faith rhetoric is an ominous sign of the state of the modern GOP.

Predictions