Former Hawaii congresswoman and 2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard has announced her departure from the Democratic Party, labelling it an 'elitist cabal of warmongers' driven by 'cowardly wokeness'. In a video posted on Twitter, she criticised the party for racialising issues and stoking anti-white racism.
Gabbard, who in 2012 became the first Samoan-American and Hindu elected to Congress, has often held views at odds with the Democratic mainstream. She resigned from the Democratic National Committee in 2016 to endorse Bernie Sanders for president.
Her foreign policy stances have drawn controversy, including opposition to a 2013 House resolution condemning anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat, India, and a secret 2017 meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. She has expressed scepticism about atrocities committed by Assad's regime.
Gabbard made the remarks during the debut episode of her new YouTube show, 'The Tulsi Gabbard Show', uploaded on Tuesday. She previously filled in for Fox News host Tucker Carlson in August.
