Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu in US Congress, officially launched her White House bid. She entered into the race with an anti-war message, attacking US interventions abroad and slamming “powerful politicians” in both parties for seeking new wars to wage.
Gabbard has struggled to keep together her bid, marked already by the exit of her campaign manager and parting of ways with a consulting firm. She even apologised for her past anti-LGBTQ activities.
The four-term Democratic Representative on Saturday, launched her campaign from her home state Hawaii best-known beach in Honolulu, Waikiki. This step is expected to give her a chance to reset her bid, which has excited the Hindu Americans, most of whom are of Indian descent.
“When we raise our right hand and volunteer to serve, we set aside our own interests to serve our country, to fight for all Americans. We serve as one, indivisible, united, unbreakable, united by this bond of love for each other and love for our country”, said Gabbard, who served two tours of military duty in Iraq and is a Major in the National Guard.
“It is in this spirit that today I announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America. We must stand against powerful politicians from both parties who sit in ivory towers thinking up new wars to wage & new places for people to die”, she said. “Wasting trillions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of lives, undermining our economy and security, and destroying our middle class.”
“These powerful politicians dishonor the sacrifices made by every one of our service members, and their families - they are the ones who pay the price for these wars”, she added.