How does one go from being the darling of the Democrat party to delivering the most popular speech at the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) in just a little over a decade? While it’s very rare to witness such a phenomenon, this is exactly what happened to former U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.

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The About Face that Rocked the Nation

Now serving as the first female combat veteran Director of National Intelligence, this fearless advocate for justice and freedom was elected as vice chair of the Democratic National Convention in 2013. At that moment she became the future of the liberal movement to many hopeful Democrats, who believed she would champion their causes. But by 2024, Gabbard had thrown them into a tailspin by completely breaking away from the party. She joined ranks with the Republicans, speaking out on podcasts, social media and news broadcasts about how the Democratic party no longer stood for the civil liberties of people, but instead had become the party of war, wealth and unchecked power.

Gabbard’s powerful statements at the 2024 CPAC conference had Democrat heads spinning when she stated that their “insatiable hunger for power” was undermining the rights of all Americans. Referring to her former colleagues as “swamp creatures in Washington,” she warned about the “mindset and mentality of dictators” who were waging a battle in defiance of the Constitution.

The Road that Led to Washington

Tulsi Gabbard’s story is both unique and inspiring, but just how did she get to where she is today? The brave, independent spirit that has driven her to take on some of the most powerful politicians in Washington was years in the making.

At just 43 years old, Tulsi Gabbard has accomplished more than most people twice her age. Born in Leloaloa, American Samoa, she moved to Hawaii when she was two years old. As a homeschooler, she was encouraged to think for herself and to stand up for her beliefs. Hard work, patience, integrity and unconditional love were the core values emphasized by her parents. Growing up with a multicultural background, she studied the teachings of both Christianity and Hinduism, ultimately choosing to follow Hinduism.

By 21 years of age, the highly motivated Gabbard was already making waves in the political world, becoming the youngest person ever elected to the Hawaii state legislature, representing West Oahu. In 2003, she enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard, skillfully managing basic training and her job as a legislator.

In July 2004, Gabbard volunteered for a 12-month deployment to Iraq, eventually completing three deployments to the Middle East and Africa as part of a special operations mission to counter terrorism. She also served in a medical unit, and later led a Military Police platoon in Kuwait, where she was the first woman to receive an award of appreciation from the Kuwaiti military. Seeing violent mortar attacks every day, Gabbard experienced the true cost of war and understood the toll it took on soldiers and their families. As her political career continued, she would make their welfare the utmost priority.

At the age of 31, Gabbard became the first Hindu elected to the United States House of Representatives (Hawaii, District 2), serving from 2013 to 2021. During her tenure, she served on the House Armed Services Committee, as well as the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Subcommittee on Intelligence.

Change Was Inevitable

While Gabbard supported a number of liberal causes during her time in office, an uneasiness was building within that she couldn’t ignore. By 2016, she resigned as vice chair of the DNC, deciding to endorse Bernie Sanders in his bid for president. This step was considered a snub to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and the move was quickly labeled as political suicide by her colleagues.

Gabbard had been openly critical about Barack Obama, whom she condemned for American intervention in Syria and Libya. Her opinions of both Clinton and Obama challenged the military industrial complex, as well as the media. The blowback was relentless as Gabbard was called out by Clinton as “a favorite of the Russians” who was “being groomed to disrupt the 2020 election as a third-party candidate.” Gabbard responded via Twitter (now X) by saying, “Thank you @Hillary Clinton. You, queen of the warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long, have finally come out from behind the curtain.”

Determined to cut through the opposition, Gabbard did make a run for the Democratic Party nomination for president in 2020. Ultimately, she dropped out and endorsed Joe Biden. Nonetheless, something stirred in the heart of this determined woman. Changes were happening as she took stances on abortion, border security and transgender rights that differed significantly from her Democrat constituents.

In 2020 she introduced a bill to block abortions of babies who were capable of feeling pain. Interestingly enough, Gabbard had voted against this bill previously, but then became the sponsor of it. Additionally, she “introduced legislation that aimed to ensure medical care to babies born alive after an attempted abortion.” This same year, in spite of heavy backlash from Democrats, Gabbard introduced the “Protect Women’s Sports Acts” bill which would provide Title IX protections for female athletes based on biological sex.

In 2021, this “rebel within her own party” criticized Joe Biden for acting as “judge, jury and executioner” for Customs and Border Patrol Agents and urged the Biden Administration to restore the border policies of President Donald Trump. “The Biden/Harris open-door policy has been a disaster and it needs to end now,” she stated.

Enough Was Enough

By the time 2022 rolled around, Gabbard had come to an impasse. She could no longer stomach the political tactics and policies of the Democrat party, saying they were dominated by “an elitist cabal of warmongers who are driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue and stoking anti-white racism.” At that time, she declared herself an Independent.

In a 2022 Thanksgiving message on her podcast, Gabbard stressed the importance of freedom of speech and tolerance for dissenting voices, emphasizing, “I really take to heart the old saying that I may disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” She reminded Americans that it’s ok to ask questions and as children of God, we should always have that right.

2024 became the “Year of Tulsi” as her book, For Love of Country: Why I Left the Democratic Party, hit the New York Times bestseller list. In it, she revealed the ups and downs of her political journey and how she came to realize that the Democratic Party was “undermining free speech, antagonistic to people of faith, hostile to the police and law and order, suspicious of law-abiding Americans, supporting open borders, and using our national security apparatus to target political opponents.”

A New Day Had Arrived

It all came to a head in October 2024 when Gabbard formally announced she was joining the Republican Party at a Trump rally in North Carolina. “I’m proud to stand here with you today, President Trump, and announce that I’m joining the Republican Party. I am joining the party of the people. The party of equality. The party that was founded to fight against and end slavery in this country. It is the party of common sense and the party that is led by a president who has the courage and strength to fight for peace.”

After Donald Trump won the 2024 election, he nominated Gabbard to serve as the Director of National Intelligence. A heated confirmation hearing followed where she was accused of spreading Russian disinformation. Even though her patriotism was questioned, through it all, she maintained her composure, stating, “What truly unsettles my political opponents is that I refuse to be their puppet.”

On February 12, 2025, Gabbard was confirmed as the Director of National Intelligence. Jumping into action right away, she accompanied Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance to the southern border where she stated, “Our mission is very clear. Our objective is to keep the American people safe.” She stressed that border crossings had already dropped from 1,500 a day to 30.

Gabbard also announced in late February that she was “dismissing more than 100 employees of the US intelligence community who participated in obscene, pornographic, and sexually explicit chatrooms on a government messaging platform.” She called this “an egregious violation of trust.”

It’s Time to Pray for Tulsi Gabbard

As Director of National Intelligence, Gabbard promises to undo the gross politicization that has come to characterize intelligence bureaucracies, but she has a long, tough road ahead of her. Intercessory prayers are the key to helping this brave woman in her quest to protect the security and freedoms of Americans.

Prayer points:

1. Tulsi Gabbard is a practicing member of the Vaishnava denomination of the Hindu faith and she was the first national politician to take the oath of office on her personal copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture. Pray that Jesus Christ would reveal himself to her in a powerful way and that God would surround her with Christians who will share the gospel. Pray for her salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ.
2. Though Gabbard’s views of abortion have changed over time, pray that Jesus would work in her heart to reveal that life begins at conception and that all stages of a baby’s life must be fully protected. Gabbard and her husband, Abraham Williams, have no children, but they’ve made multiple attempts through IVF (in vitro fertilization). Pray that the Lord would bless this couple with children the natural way, or they would be blessed by adoption.
3. Pray that God would lead the work of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. Pray that her resolve would not waver as she focuses on exactly what issues need the most attention.
4. Pray for the protection of Tulsi Gabbard and her family. As she attempts to clean up corruption within the intelligence community and restore American trust, she will face attacks and push-back. Pray that no weapon formed against her will prosper so she can complete the tasks assigned by God.
5. Pray that God would place his plans on Tulsi Gabbard’s heart, so that she may fulfill everything that has been ordained for her life.

Lord Jesus, we thank you for Tulsi Gabbard. She possesses grit, courage, strength and patriotism. We pray that you would use her in mighty ways as she works to protect America’s security and freedom. We pray she would hear your voice calling out to her for salvation, and that her life would be blessed.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace, Numbers 6:24-26.

How are you praying for Tulsi Gabbard and the plans that God has for her life?

Angela Rodriguez is an author, blogger and former teacher who studies the historical and biblical connections between Israel and the United States. You can visit her blogs at 67owls.com and 100trumpets.com. She is also the author of Psalm 91: Under the Wings of Jesus and Hallelujah’sGreatRide. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America – Tulsi Gabbard, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=149630150.