Tulsi Gabbard feels like a woman liberated. She's free from a political party she left nearly two years ago and no longer recognizes. During her conversation with CBN News, she spoke her mind, something that doesn't often go over well in certain Washington, D.C. circles. She's a free thinker and the establishment does not like free thinkers and a free-thinking society.
"You're exactly right," Gabbard tells CBN News in an exclusive sit-down interview. "This has been my experience throughout my time involved in national politics especially. Independent-minded people, common sense-minded people, independent free thinkers, are not welcome in Washington."
That theme plays out in her new book, For Love of Country: Leave the Democrat Party Behind.She says the elites in her former party are a direct threat to our Constitution.
'Abuse of Power' and Threats to American Freedom
"That abuse of power that we're seeing coming from the Democratic Democrat elite, right now, and increasingly so in increasingly brazen ways, is a direct threat to our fundamental freedoms, our democracy and the rule of law," she says.
Enter Donald Trump. His critics say he's a threat to democracy and that he's ready to jail his political opponents. Supporters say that talk is pretty rich considering it's Joe Biden's Department of Justice that is looking to jail Biden's top opponent in this year's presidential election.
"Donald Trump and what they're doing to him is the most public abuse of the Department of Justice," Gabbard says.
But Gabbard says it goes even beyond the former president to ordinary Americans. Examples include a DOJ crackdown on pro-life protesters, parents at school board meetings and those challenging the government's COVID procedures.
"Why are they not willing to allow freedom of speech for different health care professionals who are challenging the government narrative on this thing?" Gabbard exclaims.
Wars and the D.C. Establishment
That free-thinking spirit also led her to challenge her former party and the D.C. establishment on the approach to foreign wars. She has said she's not an isolationist or an interventionist but rather a realist.
"Their emotional knee-jerk reaction is, 'We've just got to go drop some bombs, or we've got to go punish this bad guy, or we've got to go and topple this dictator of this country,'" Gabbard tells CBN News. "So short-sighted, and as we've seen over the last 20-plus years, so often over and over end up, putting us in a position where it has undermined our own national security interests and come at the cost of countless lives and American taxpayer dollars."
Billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent defending Ukraine and Israel. Is there a difference between the two countries?
"Yes, there is a very clear difference," Gabbard says forcefully. "There is a very real difference...Putin was wrong to invade Ukraine. There's no question about it. There's a lot of historical context that went into that but the bottom line is, we should have had a president who would have gone in very early and negotiated a peaceful end to that war as quickly as possible, save lives, save American taxpayer dollars."
"When you look at what's happening in the war between Israel and Hamas, and it is a war between Israel and Hamas, a radical Islamist terrorist group, this is just the latest front of this war that's been waged for a very long time between these radical Islamist terrorist groups that have been waging it militarily and ideologically," she says. "This is in our best interests."
Undermined by Elitists and Their Allies
When Gabbard went off the elitist reservation (not that she was ever on it to begin with), she quickly encountered resistance. In 2019, Hillary Clinton suggested the Russians were "grooming" her to run for president. Gabbard says part of the elitist playbook is smearing free thinkers.
When the Hawaii Congresswoman did run for president that year and scored a solid debate night, she found her Google Ads account had been mysteriously suspended.
"It is not only the Democratic elite who are in power, the elected leaders, but it is their partners in Big Tech and companies like Google. It is their partners in the mainstream media...Their amassed powers and their collusion is all working towards one specific purpose. They want power."
Gods, Democrats, and 'Gender-Affirming' 'Child Abuse'
For Gabbard, through it all, she relied on her Hindu faith, something she takes very seriously. "My desire is to be pleasing to god, first and foremost. Of course, Hinduism and Christianity see God in very different ways," she admits. "I think I'll just point out Hinduism is probably one of the most misunderstood religions...It's for me really more about a spiritual practice."
When it comes to the God of the Bible, the Democrats seem to be drifting further and further away. Gabbard writes a lot about this topic. When asked if her former party has walked away from God and from objective truth, she didn't hesitate. "Yes," she says directly. To make the case, she talks about how the Democrats are intentionally blurring the lines of two genders and supporting what they label, 'gender-affirming care.'
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"They themselves are removing these guardrails in our society that the truth then becomes whatever they deem it to be, putting themselves in that position of trying to be god."
When asked if this so-called, 'gender-affirming care' is a form of child abuse, she didn't sugarcoat it. "It is, it is clearly a form of child abuse," Gabbard tells CBN News. "Them targeting the most vulnerable people in our country who don't have the ability to, as an adult does, to make clear decisions for themselves."
Free Thinking and the 2024 Elections
Her message proclaiming common sense and free thinking will be on display during this 2024 campaign season. She'll be on the road constantly in key battleground states and her two Political Action Committees will give her the ability to fund specific candidates who are like-minded.
Her Super PAC will also eventually be hitting the airwaves with her unique, independent-minded message. But what about other plans? Could it be as Donald Trump's vice presidentialnominee? Her name is out there.
"For me to be in a position now where I can reach out to and connect with folks who may not have ever considered voting for a Republican or voting for Donald Trump before, there's an opportunity here to remind people of our responsibility as citizens to put our country first."
When it comes to Tulsi Gabbard, she's seeking to make it loud and clear that it's not party first. It's always been America first.
