Former President Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate for 2024, and his closest advisors had discussions with Tulsi Gabbard regarding foreign policy and the management of the Department of Defense, according to a new report.
The Washington Post reported that discussions with the former Hawaii Democrat were held about how Trump would alter the Department of Defense if he wins in November. In the last year, Trump and Gabbard have had at least one in-person meeting.
The Washington Post reported: “The talks with Gabbard — who has staked out a role as an outspoken critic of aid to Ukraine and U.S. military interventions overseas — are part of a broader conversation about how Trump would manage the Pentagon differently if voters award him a second term. Trump has repeatedly told advisers and donors in recent months that one of his biggest mistakes was his personnel choices at the Pentagon, where he says he was stymied by officials with diverging opinions.”
“He sought to immediately pull out of many countries where the United States had troops, wanted to withdraw from NATO at times because he said other countries were not paying enough, questioned traditional alliances, praised and negotiated with dictators considered foes of the United States, and clashed repeatedly with the Republican establishment, particularly in the Senate, on foreign policy,” the outlet added.
The WaPo report continued: “Trump met with Gabbard at least once in person last year. She has often shared Trump’s approach toward the world in his post-presidency, according to advisers who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose private details. Gabbard and Trump and his team have discussed military entanglements overseas and Trump’s frustrations with Republicans on foreign policy. Trump advisers also hope Gabbard — who serves in the Army Reserve — could appeal to independent voters in a general election, one person familiar with the strategy said, and advocate his military policies.”
🚨New: Tulsi Gabbard held a meeting with President Trump today. @TulsiGabbard pic.twitter.com/ok3JlFMr1x
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) February 15, 2024
Gabbard, a former House Democrat who ran for president in the 2020 presidential election, said last year that she would be open to having a “conversation” with Trump about potentially being his running mate.
The 42-year-old made an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity” and admitted her secret ambition to be Trump’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
The conversation began when Hannity asked Gabbard about the uproar over UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s remark that “a man is a man, a woman is a woman.” Gabbard said it was “irritating” to see that such a statement could be controversial, adding that it was evidence of “how crazy society has become.”
“Amazingly, this is the time we live in when such a statement is believed to be controversial by some and an act of courage by others,” Gabbard said.
Hannity then pivoted and asked Gabbard about the 2024 presidential election and whether she had an interest in possibly being Trump’s running mate.
Hannity asked: “Last question, this came up. If Donald Trump for example wins the nomination, he has a pretty sizeable lead, and make a call and say, ‘Tulsi I want you to run with me’. What would you say?”
Gabbard smiled at the question and confidently replied, “I look forward to having that conversation.”
Hannity then asked Gabbard to elaborate on some of the things she would want to consider before saying “Yes” to the proposition.
Gabbard replied, “I want to be in a position to help protect our country’s freedom and to prevent us from getting into yet another catastrophic war. I don’t just want to be a picture on the wall. I don’t want to be somebody who just cut ribbons.”
By claiming ‘Trump will be like Hitler,’ neocons & Dem establishment rationalize their weaponizing of govt agencies, embolden those in power to further abuse their power, and may encourage a lone wolf to do what people say should have been done to Hitler before he took power. We… pic.twitter.com/LiS6RFrh4n
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) December 10, 2023
Interestingly enough, Fox News host Greg Gutfeld made headlines recently when he predicted that Trump would pick Gabbard as his running mate.
During a segment on “The Five,” Gutfeld and the co-hosts discussed Gabbard leaving the Democratic Party. Gutfeld spoke highly of Gabbard, saying she is the “definition of an individual” and predicting she will be Trump’s running mate in 2024.
“The thing I like about Tulsi is that if she were to give you two opinions, you could not predict a third. She’s a definition of an individual. Like, I disagree with her on probably at least 30%, maybe 40% of things, but the boxes she ticks aren’t the boxes that Kamala ticks. Her boxes are achievements and ideas. That’s different than skin color and where she was born — not where she was born, but whatever her background is. So, I think that is what makes her so different. I have never seen her angry in my life. And just lastly, I think she’s going to be Trump’s VP. That’s where this is going,” Gutfeld said.
“But I do think when she said ‘the anti-white racism,’ she said something most people can’t say. That takes serious stones to say that because it is true. I mean, in the Democratic Party they made it clear that, you know, you can be racist against white people because they have it coming. And I think that’s why everybody is so desperately identifying as something else. ‘No, no, I’m not white!’ Everybody is finding something else to be. So that’s why you come to the Republican Party or you become an independent. Then you can be who you are, you don’t have to pretend,” he added.
WATCH:
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
