GLENDALE, Ariz. – Former Democrats Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard slammed their former party as “warmongers” and the “party of censorship” while campaigning for Donald Trump in Arizona on Saturday.
“Today, America has become the party of war, the party of surveillance, the party of censorship,” Kennedy, 70, told an audience at Arizona Christian University in Glendale.
“It's no longer a party that I recognised.”
The comments came less than a month after the Democratic family scion ended his independent presidential bid at a Glendale rally in favor of Republican Trump, 78, who is continuing his legal battle to have his name removed from the ballot in key battleground states.
“Trump will end the chronic disease epidemic and make America healthy again,” Kennedy said to applause.
“We need to unite America,” he added.
“If we want to make America whole again, if we want to make America great again, we need to unite this country.”
Gabbard, a veteran former Hawaii state legislator who sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, has frequently cited foreign policy as the driving force behind her decision to leave the party in 2022 and support Trump in this election.
“Why […] “Are you going to align yourself with a party that supports tyranny and war?” she asked, calling the Democrats an “elite group” of “warmongers.”
Gabbard, 43, said the purpose of the event and her “Take America Back Tour” is “to point out the truth: this is not about Democrats versus Republicans. This is about our country.”
“This is about us, the people, standing up for freedom. And this is about us, the people, standing up for peace.”
Some Arizonans believe Kennedy could improve Trump's chances of victory in the state and across the nation.
“I think there will be some Democrats who will side with Trump,” Peoria retiree Peggy told The Post at the event.
Meanwhile, the “Republicans for Harris” coalition continues to be a key point of Democratic campaigning in the Grand Canyon State, including hosting debate viewing parties.
“During the debate, I was asked what I expected Donald Trump to do that night, and I answered that the American people see him for what he is: a fear-monger who is unstable and morally reprehensible,” said Olivia Troy, a former Trump administration official and moderator of the event.
“I think the best way forward for the Republican Party is to defeat this man and defeat this movement.”
Trump and Harris, who played out a pitched battle on ABC News Tuesday night, are deadlocked in the battle for Arizona's 11 electoral votes. Real Clear Polling The average shows Trump leading by 1.6 percentage points. Five Thirty Eight It also suggests he has a 0.7% lead. Ultimately, it may be voters across the state who decide the outcome of the election.
Republican Sen. Harris and Ranking Member Doug Emhoff debated in Tucson on Thursday, while Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, spoke to an audience in Mesa, Arizona, ahead of Tuesday's debate.
Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance visited the Phoenix area earlier this month.
