The mother kept the Hindu name
Tulsi Gabbard came into the limelight as the first Hindu to be elected to the US Congress, but the interesting thing is that she is neither of Indian origin nor a Hindu by birth. Tulsi was born on April 12, 1981 in American Samoa to Mike Gabbard. When she was two years old, her family settled in Hawaii.
Tulsi Gabbard’s mother, a self-described proud Hindu, was interested in Hinduism. This is the reason why his four children are given Hindu names. Gradually his Samoan father also converted to Hinduism. Tulsi has told many times how Bhagavad Gita influenced him a lot.
The first Hindu MP in America
Gabbard has served in the Army National Guard for two decades. Gabbard became a Hawaii state legislator at the age of 21. But during this period, he was assigned to Iraq to a National Guard unit, forcing him to leave the position after only one term. She was later elected to the House of Representatives of Congress, where she represented Hawaii. She became the first Hindu representative in the US House of Representatives and was sworn in by placing her hand on the Geeta. She is also the first Samoan to be elected to the US Congress.
Cutting ties with the Democratic Party and supporting Trump
In 2020, Gabbard ran in the Democratic presidential race. However, she later withdrew from the race and supported Joe Biden. Two years later, he completely severed his ties with the Democratic Party. While he opposed military deployments abroad, he described the Democratic Party as “an elitist cabal of war lovers.” Gabbard’s move surprised supporters and opponents alike.
Earlier this year, Gabbard endorsed Donald Trump, increasing her popularity among his supporters. At a rally in North Carolina in October, he formally announced his intention to become a Republican and criticized the current Democratic Party.