Tulsi Gabbard Biography
Tulsi Gabbard is an American conservative political commentator, politician and United States Army Reserve working for FOX NEWS as a contributor. She joined the FOX news team in 2022, after previously working as a Congresswoman.
Tulsi Gabbard Career
Gabbard worked for several organizations founded by her father, including: Stand Up For America (SUFA), established in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. The Alliance for Traditional Marriage and Values, an anti-gay marriage political action committee (PAC) formed to advocate for an amendment granting the Hawaii state legislature authority to “reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples.” She joined the organization in 1998 and continued to speak on its behalf until at least 2004. She also worked at The Healthy Hawai’i Coalition, where she served as an educator.
In 2002, Gabbard, who was then a self-employed martial arts instructor, discontinued her studies in television production at Leeward Community College to enter a successful campaign for the Hawaii House of Representatives. In 2009, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business from Hawaii Pacific University. In April 2003, Gabbard, while serving in the Hawaii State Legislature, enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard. Deployed in July 2004, she completed a 12-month tour in Iraq, serving with the Medical Company, 29th Support Battalion, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team at Logistical Support Area Anaconda. Her tour concluded in 2005, and due to this deployment, she chose not to campaign for reelection to the state legislature.
In March 2007, she graduated from the Accelerated Officer Candidate School, was commissioned as a second lieutenant, and was assigned to the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Hawaii Army National Guard. She served as an Army Military Police officer and was stationed in Kuwait from 2008 to 2009, becoming one of the first women to enter a Kuwaiti military facility and receiving an award of appreciation from the Kuwait National Guard. Moreover, she is a recipient of the Combat Medical Badge and the Meritorious Service Medal. In October 2015, she was promoted from the rank of captain to major. She continued her service as a major in the Hawaii Army National Guard until transferring to the 351st Civil Affairs Command, a California-based United States Army Reserve unit, in June 2020.
On August 7, 2018, concerns were raised about a video on Gabbard’s VoteTulsi Facebook page, showing her in uniform, not complying with military ethics rules. The video was removed, and a disclaimer was added to the website’s banner image to clarify that it did not imply military endorsement. In October 2020, she shifted to the Army Reserve with a California-based unit. On July 4, 2021, she was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 2002, following redistricting, she secured victory in the Democratic primary for the 42nd district of the Hawaii House of Representatives, garnering 43% of the vote in a four-candidate race. She went on to win the general election with 60.7% of the vote, defeating Republican Alfonso Jimenez. Notably, at the age of 21, she became the youngest legislator ever elected in Hawaii’s history and, at that time, the youngest woman ever elected to a U.S. state legislature.
During her term, she played a prominent role in opposing and protesting a state bill that aimed to legalize same-sex civil unions. She encouraged Hawaiians to support the Federal Marriage Amendment to prevent federal law from superseding state law concerning same-sex marriage. In 2004, despite filing for reelection, she volunteered for Army National Guard service in Iraq. Rida Cabanilla, her opponent in the Democratic primary, called for her resignation, arguing that she couldn’t effectively represent her district from Iraq. In August 2004, she announced that she would not campaign for a second term, and Cabanilla won the Democratic primary with 58% of the vote. State law prevented her name from being removed from the ballot.
Following her return from a second deployment to the Middle East in 2009, she entered the race for a seat on the Honolulu City Council. This seat became available after City Councilman Rod Tam, representing the 6th district, decided to retire in order to run for the position of mayor of Honolulu. In the nonpartisan open primary held in September 2010, she emerged as the top candidate with 26.8% of the vote among the 10 candidates. She went on to win the November 2 runoff election, securing 49.5% of the vote against Sesnita Moepono. During her time on the City Council, she introduced initiatives such as a measure aimed at assisting food truck vendors by easing parking restrictions.
Additionally, she proposed Bill 54, which granted city workers the authority to remove personal belongings stored on public property with 24 hours notice to the owner. Despite facing opposition from groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Occupy Hawai’i, Bill 54 passed and was enacted as City Ordinance 1129. In early 2011, following the announcement by Mazie Hirono, the incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district, that she would be running for the United States Senate. She declared her candidacy for Hirono’s vacated House seat in May 2011. Despite facing well-known candidates like the Democratic Mayor of Honolulu, Mufi Hannemann, she emerged victorious in the six-way primary, securing 55% of the vote with 62,882 votes.
Her win was characterized by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser as an “improbable rise from a distant underdog to victory.” Following her primary win, she resigned from the City Council on August 16 to concentrate on her congressional campaign and avoid the cost of a special election. As the Democratic nominee, she delivered a speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the invitation of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who referred to her as “an emerging star.” In the general election on November 6, 2012, she secured victory with 80.6% of the vote, defeating Republican Kawika Crowley by a margin of 168,503 to 40,707 votes. This made her the first voting Samoan-American and the first Hindu member of Congress.
In December 2012, she expressed interest in being considered for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Daniel Inouye. Despite receiving support from prominent mainland Democrats, she was not included in the list of three candidates forwarded to the governor by the Democratic Party of Hawaii. In March 2013, she introduced the Helping Heroes Fly Act, which focused on enhancing airport security screenings for severely wounded veterans. The legislation passed Congress and was signed into law by President Barack Obama. Additionally, she introduced the House version of the Military Justice Improvement Act. In January 2021, she launched her podcast, “This is Tulsi Gabbard.”
Since leaving Congress, she has appeared on various Fox News programs, criticizing figures such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Representative Adam Schiff. She went as far as referring to Schiff as a “domestic terrorist” for what she perceived as an attempt to undermine the Constitution by limiting civil liberties and rights following the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol. In November 2021, she characterized the victory of Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin in the Virginia Gubernatorial election over Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe as a victory for all Americans. Later in April 2022, during an appearance on Hannity, she expressed support for Florida’s Parental Rights Bill, stating that, in her opinion, it did not go far enough.
In 2022, she spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), drawing criticism from Hawaii Democrats. Additionally, in August 2022, she served as the fill-in host for “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” On October 11, 2022, she announced on Twitter her departure from the Democratic Party, citing reasons such as what she described as “cowardly wokeness,” allegations of anti-white racism, hostility towards people of faith and spirituality, and concerns about the party’s stance potentially leading to nuclear war. Following this announcement, she endorsed and campaigned for several Republican candidates in the 2022 midterm elections, some of whom contested the legitimacy of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Among the candidates she supported were Senate candidates Don Bolduc, Adam Laxalt, and J. D. Vance, as well as Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.
In November 2022, she signed a deal with Fox News as a paid contributor, where she became a regular guest and occasional host on various shows, including The Five, Outnumbered, Hannity, Jesse Watters Primetime, and Gutfeld! She also served as a frequent guest host on Tucker Carlson Tonight until its cancellation in 2023. With Donald Trump entering the 2024 Republican presidential primary, there has been speculation about Gabbard being considered as a potential vice presidential running mate by Trump. Some commentators, including Greg Gutfeld from Fox News, have predicted that she could be chosen as Trump’s running mate.
Gabbard criticizes what she perceives as the influence of the “neoliberal/neoconservative war machine” advocating for U.S. involvement in what she considers “counterproductive, wasteful foreign wars.” According to her, these wars have not enhanced the safety of the United States; instead, she argues they have initiated a New Cold War and a nuclear arms race. Additionally, she characterizes herself as a hawk “when it comes to the war against terrorists,” but adopts a dovish stance “when it comes to counterproductive wars of regime change.”In terms of domestic policy, Gabbard’s platform during her 2020 presidential campaign was both economically and socially progressive. However, post-campaign, she has found common ground with Republicans on certain cultural and social issues.
On November 25, 2013, she was honored with the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award at a ceremony held at the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. This recognition was bestowed upon her in acknowledgment of her dedicated efforts on behalf of veterans.
On March 20, 2014, Elle magazine included her in its annual “Women in Washington Power List” and celebrated her achievements at the Italian Embassy in the United States. Moreover, she was awarded the National Association of Counties County Alumni Award on February 26, 2015, in recognition of her unwavering commitment to the nation’s counties. The National Parks Conservation Association presented her with the Friend of the National Parks Award on July 15, 2015, in appreciation of her contributions to the preservation of national parks. On September 30, 2018, she was honored with the Ho’ola Na Pua Advocacy Award for her dedication to serving and empowering human trafficking survivors in Hawaii at the annual Pearl Gala. Hawai’i Pacific University recognized her as the 2018 Paul T. C. Loo Distinguished Alumni on October 16, 2018.
Tulsi Gabbard Salary
Gabbard earns an annual salary of about $47,000-$120,000.
Tulsi Gabbard Net Worth
Gabbard has an estimated net worth of about $1 Million – $7 Million which she has earned through her career as a politician.
Tulsi Gabbard Age
Gabbard was born on April 12, 1981, in Leloaloa, American Samoa, United States. She is 42 years old as of 2023, and she celebrates her birthday on the 12th of April every year.
Tulsi Gabbard Height and Weight
Gabbard stands at a height of 5 feet 6 inches tall, and she weighs 125 lbs (75kgs).
Tulsi Gabbard Family
Gabbard was the fourth child among five born to Carol (née Porter) Gabbard and her husband, Mike Gabbard. Her father, is a Samoan American politician affiliated with the Democratic Party. She has been serving as the Hawaii State Senator for District 21 since 2006.
Tulsi Gabbard Husband and Children
Gabbard was married to Eduardo Tamayo in 2002. Their marriage however, ended in divorce in 2006, with the stresses of war on military spouses and families cited as one of the reasons for their separation. Currently, she is married to Abraham Williams who is a freelance cinematographer and editor. They celebrated their union in a traditional Vedic wedding ceremony. Notably, Abraham Williams is the son of Gabbard’s Honolulu office manager. She resides in New York together with her family.
Tulsi Gabbard Presidential Campaigns
In February 2019, Gabbard officially launched her 2020 presidential campaign, becoming the first female combat veteran to run for president. Described by CNN as having an anti-interventionist foreign policy platform and a populist economic platform, she garnered attention by being the most frequently Googled candidate after the first, second, and fourth 2020 Democratic debates. Although she did not meet the polling threshold for the third presidential debate, she qualified for the fourth debate in October 2019. During this time, she criticized the DNC’s qualification criteria as lacking transparency. Despite accusations of the media and the Democratic party “rigging” the election, she participated in the debate.
She also skipped the LULAC Latino Town Hall to appear on Hannity’s TV show, where she criticized the Democrats’ impeachment process. In July 2019, she stood out as the only 2020 presidential candidate to visit Puerto Rico and join protests calling for Governor Ricardo Rosselló’s resignation. In October 2019, there were false claims, later corrected, suggesting that Hillary Clinton accused Gabbard of being groomed by Russia to run as a third-party candidate. Consequently, she filed a defamation lawsuit against Clinton in January 2020, which she dropped five months later. During her campaign, she received endorsements from David Duke and Richard B. Spencer, which she disavowed.
On March 3, 2020, Gabbard, of Samoan and Southeast Asian descent, earned two delegates in American Samoa, becoming the second woman of color and the first Asian-American and Pacific-Islander presidential candidate to earn primary delegates. On March 19, 2020, she dropped out of the 2020 election and endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. Notably, she was the only candidate with primary delegates not invited to the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
Tulsi Gabbard FOX NEWS
While working for FOX NEWS Gabbard co-works alongside:
Tulsi Gabbard Social Media Platform
Gabbard is very active on her Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages. She has 2.4M followers on Twitter 867.8k followers on Instagram, and 178.8k followers on Facebook.