For whatever political endorsements are worth (and their value is frequently dubious at best), both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris continue to chase them down wherever they might be found. While Harris has been running up the score with celebrities, Trump nabbed one yesterday that is at least more interesting than many others and might carry a bit of heft. Former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, now an independent, came out and strongly endorsed Trump, committing to do “all I can do” to send the former President back to the White House. She further claimed that Trump will be able to keep us out of another war, a favorite theme of hers since leaving her former party. So will this have any impact on the polls? It’s not impossible that Gabbard might have a bit of pull with some undecided, independent voters. (National Review)
Former U.S. representative Tulsi Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party to become an independent in 2022, has endorsed former president Donald Trump days after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his campaign and threw his support behind the Republican presidential nominee.
Gabbard announced her endorsement on Monday after Trump spoke at a National Guard Association conference in Detroit, where he criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of the military withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago this week.
“I am 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,” Gabbard told the crowd at the same event, saying he is capable of keeping the U.S. out of war.
It was further confirmed that Gabbard had already been tapped to help Trump prepare for his upcoming debate with Harris, assuming that actually happens. Gabbard will be hitting the campaign trail on Trump’s behalf, joining her fellow ex-Democrat RFK Jr. Neither of them are particularly MAGA in their policy positions, however. Gabbard had already been attacking Harris for keeping a cash bail system in place in California when she was still serving there as a prosecutor. Restoring cash bail for violent criminals is a position shared by most conservatives and Trump supporters, so there’s a bit of a disconnect on display.
I don’t expect this endorsement will move the needle very much among Democrats who weren’t already disenchanted with Gabbard and alarmed at Joe Biden’s steep cognitive decline. Most of them had long since written Tulsi Gabbard off in terms of being part of their tribe when she took a position as a Fox News contributor and began seriously criticizing Joe Biden’s policies. The Democrats like to run a tight ship and signs of an independent streak are not tolerated for long.
Much the same can be said for RFK, of course. He has massive name recognition because of his famous father and uncle, but he’s not exactly reminiscent of the days of Camelot when compared to the rest of the Kennedy Clan. But both Kennedy and Tulsi Gabbard do share one other thing in common that we can keep an eye on. As noted above, they are both ex-Democrats. We may see more people like that join the Trump parade, but the ones who are still with the party – particularly those holding public office – will likely find it very difficult to come out and publicly endorse Donald Trump. Among Democrats, that is a sure way to draw a primary challenge as quickly as possible, so if any of them are considering it, they might want to update their resumes first.
You can find an interesting parallel among supporters of Kamala Harris without much effort. Just this morning, the WaPo ran a headline announcing that more than 200 former Republican staffers have endorsed Harris. Note the careful use of the word “former” in that description. These are simply the never-Trumpers, most of whom have taken positions as “Republican strategists” or “Republican consultants” with CNN and MSNBC whenever the hosts need a supposed conservative to join them in bashing Trump so they can project the illusion of reflecting bipartisan unity. Just remember to always consider the source when consuming opinion journalism on cable news. There’s more going on behind the scenes than may seem obvious at first glance.
