US presidential elections: Trump names Robert F Kennedy Jr, Tulsi Gabbard in transition team
Washington DC: Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has named Robert F Kennedy Jr and Tulsi Gabbard to his transition team that would help the former president select personnel and develop policy for a possible second term in the White House.
Trump's Expanding Coalition
"As President Trump's broad coalition of supporters and endorsers expands across partisan lines, we are proud that Robert F Kennedy Jr and Tulsi Gabbard have been added to the Trump/Vance Transition team," Trump campaign senior adviser Brian Hughes said in a statement.
Support from Kennedy and Gabbard
" We look forward to having their powerful voices on the team [as] we work to restore America's greatness," Hughes added. Robert Kennedy Jr, who recently dropped out of the presidential race, and Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, have both thrown their support behind Trump in recent days.
Kennedy’s Shift from Opposition
This comes after Kennedy was previously on the receiving end of Trump's signature name-calling, and Gabbard had distanced herself from the Democratic Party following her own 2020 presidential bid. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, has emerged over the past two decades as a prominent opponent of vaccine mandates, promoting widely refuted claims that childhood vaccinations cause autism and railing against what he called the "corporate capture" of the federal government by pharmaceutical companies.
Kennedy Suspends Campaign
On August 24, Kennedy Jr suspended his presidential campaign and threw his support behind former President Donald Trump, the New York Times reported. He announced his plans in a speech in Phoenix, saying he was withdrawing his name from the ballot in battleground states. He accused the Democratic Party of "abandoning democracy" and engaging in "continued legal warfare" against him and Trump.
Gabbard’s Endorsement of Trump
Meanwhile, Gabbard, a former US congresswoman, who left the Democratic Party in 2022 announced her endorsement of former President Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential polls in November, The Hill reported. "This administration has us facing multiple wars on multiple fronts in regions around the world, and closer to the brink of nuclear war than we ever have been before," Gabbard said.
Gabbard’s Reasons for Supporting Trump
"This is one of the main reasons why 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," she added. Notably, Gabbard ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign in the Democratic primary in 2020. After ending her bid, she exited Congress, left the Democratic Party and appeared at events like the Conservative Political Action Conference, The Hill reported.
(With ANI inputs)
