Donald Trump in conversation with Tulsi Gabbard on being vice presidential candidate: report

Washington: Former US president Donald Trump is in conversation with former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard on various issues including foreign policy, defence and being a potential vice-presidential candidate on his ticket, according to a media report.

Gabbard, 42, a four-term Democratic Congresswoman and the first Hindu-American from Hawaii, made a failed presidential bid in 2020. After leaving the US Congress, she also quit the Democratic Party in 2022 and is seen aligning herself with the opposition Republican Party. She appears regularly on Fox News, a conservative news channel.

Trump and his top advisers have spoken with Gabbard “about foreign policy and how the Defense Department should be run in a second Trump term”, The Washington Post reported.

According to people familiar with the matter, the daily said, the talks with Gabbard are part of a broader conversation about how Trump would manage the Pentagon differently if voters award him a second term.

Earlier she told Fox News that “she'd be "open" to having a conversation” with Trump regarding being his 2024 running mate.

“I'd be open to that conversation. My mission in life is to serve our country and serve the American people and find the best way to be able to do that," Gabbard told last week.

The Washington Post said that Trump met with Gabbard at least once in person last year.

“She has often shared Trump’s approach toward the world in his post-presidency,” the daily reported according to advisers who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose private details.

“Gabbard and Trump and his team have discussed military entanglements overseas and Trump’s frustrations with Republicans on foreign policy. Trump advisers also hope Gabbard — who serves in the Army Reserve — could appeal to independent voters in a general election, one person familiar with the strategy said, and advocate his military policies,” the daily said.