Who is Tulsi Gabbard, the Hindu American Looped in to Help Trump Prepare for Debate With Harris?

New Delhi: As former US President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump gears up for his debate with Vice President and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris (Indian-origin leader) on September 10, Tulsi Gabbard, a Hindu American leader, has been looped in to help Trump sharpen his attacks, according to media reports.

Former Democratic Party leader, Tulsi Gabbard joined Trump's practice session at the latter's private club and home, Mar-a-Lago.

The comes amid a rising enthusiasm for Harris after President Joe Biden bowed out of the White House race following a pressure by fellow Democrats after his poor debate performance with Trump.

This is not the first time that Gabbard, the first-ever Hindu American to have joined the US Congress, has gained the limelight. A former US presidential candidate, Tulsi had engaged in a heated debate with Kamala Harris in 2019.

There were speculations for some time that Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party after her 2020 presidential run, would be picked for Trump's running mate.

All About Tulsi Gabbard

Like Harris, Gabbard also has mixed racial heritage, with her father being of Samoan and European ancestry, while her mother was from Indiana.

Born in Leloaloa in American Samoa on April 12, 1981, she was named Tulsi by her mother, who became interested in Hinduism. She received education from Hawaii Pacific University in Hawaii's Honolulu.

She began her political innings in 2002 when she was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives at the age of 21, making her the youngest legislator elected in Hawaii's history and the youngest woman ever elected to a US state legislature. A year later, in 2003, she joined the Hawaii Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq for a year. She remained a part of Hawaii Army National Guard from 2003 to 2020. Thereafter she joined United States Army Reserve in 2020 and serves it till present date.

She hit headlines in 2019 after launching her 2020 presidential campaign, becoming the first female combat veteran to run for President. However, in March 2020, Gabbard dropped out of the race and endorsed Joe Biden. In 2022, Gabbard left the Democratic Party and now identifies as an independent.

Gabbard had tied the knot with cinematographer Abraham Williams in a Vedic ceremony in her home state of Hawaii back in 2015.
the wedding event witnessed many US lawmakers and dignitaries from India, including former BJP general secretary Ram Madhav.

The 43-year-old was born to Carol and Mike Gabbard. She was raised in the Brahma Madhwa Gaudiya Sampradaya that her mother adopted after taking to the Krishna movement in the US.

Gabbard has also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi back in 2014 in the US.

In anticipation of the much-awaited debate, Harris has also intensified up efforts to face off Trump and held her first formal debate training session earlier this week at Howard University. Harris is reportedly receiving help from two senior advisers of Hillary Clinton, Philippe Reines and Karen Dunn, for her preparations.