Former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has expressed her support Donald Trumps presidential candidacy, further increasing her distance from the party she wanted to represent four years ago and allying herself with the Criticism of the GOP candidate from vice president Kamala Harris and the chaotic withdrawal from the war in Afghanistan.

Gabbard, a National Guard veteran who served twice in the Middle East, appeared with Trump in Detroit on Monday, saying the GOP nominee “understands the great responsibility that a president and commander in chief bears for each and every one of us.”

The couple appeared at the National Guard Association of the United States on the third anniversary of the August 26, 2021, suicide attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport, killing 13 U.S. service members and more than 100 Afghans. Gabbard accompanied Trump to Arlington National Cemetery earlier Monday, when the former president laid wreaths in honor of three of the fallen service members — Sgt. Nicole Gee, Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss.

On Monday, Gabbard praised Trump for “having the courage to meet adversaries, dictators, allies and partners in the pursuit of peace, and seeing war as a last resort.” She condemned the Democratic White House for leaving the US “facing multiple wars on multiple fronts in regions around the world and closer to the brink of nuclear war than ever before.”

Gabbard has long signaled some level of support for Trump, even when she was a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2019, she was the only lawmaker to vote “present” when the House of Representatives impeached Trump for his dealings with Ukraine.

Gabbard’s support for her former party’s rival nominee represents a polar shift from her position as a Democrat representing Hawaii in the U.S. House of Representatives, though Gabbard has been known for taking positions at odds with her own party’s establishment during her four terms. She was an early and vocal supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Democratic presidential primary, making her popular with progressives.

Because she did not seek reelection in 2020, Gabbard instead ran for president. She said that America’s wars in the Middle East were destabilizing the region, making the U.S. less safe and costing thousands of American lives, and that Democrats and Republicans shared the blame. tore Harris’ record to shreds during a primary debate and ultimately outlasted her in that race, which was ultimately won by President Joe Biden.

Gabbard endorsed Biden But became an independent two years later, in which she said the Democratic Party was dominated by an “elite cabal of warmongers” and “woke” ideologues. In the years since, she has campaigned for several prominent Republicansbecame a Fox News contributor and started a podcast.

Another former Democratic presidential candidate also recently endorsed Trump. Last week, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who ran as a Democrat last year for President Joe Biden’s nomination — suspended his campaign and said he supported Trump in the general election.

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Kinnard reported from Chapin, South Carolina, and can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP. McAvoy reported from Honolulu, Hawaii.