Democrat-turned-Independent Tulsi Gabbard, a former congresswoman from Hawaii, is endorsing former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race against Vice President Kamala Harris. Gabbard served as the Democratic representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021, but announced her exit from the party in 2022 after denouncing it as an "elitist cabal of warmongers." The former Democrat, who ran in the 2019 Democratic presidential primary against Harris, was recently recruited by Trump to help with debate prep ahead of his September 10 face-off against the vice president at the National Constitutional Center in Philadelphia. The conference — which is the association’s annual business meeting — began Friday at Huntington Place, the Motor City’s main convention center. More than 4,200 Guard officers, their spouses and other guests are registered to attend. Besides association business, the conference agenda includes Pentagon leaders and lawmakers every year. During presidential election years, NGAUS also invited Democratic and Republican nominees for president. The association has hosted at least one major party candidate in every presidential election year since 1992. Trump spoke at the NGAUS conference in Baltimore, Maryland, when he was the Republican nominee for president in 2016. "Members of the National Guard are more than defenders of democracy, we’re all participants," said retired Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn, the NGA's president. "We want to know how the next administration will support the National Guard and whether the Guard will continue its prominent role in the National Defense Strategy. "We’re looking forward to hearing what President Trump has to say," he added. The association also invited Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic nominee for president, to speak at this year's conference. The rest of the business agenda for this weekend's conference is available at www.ngaus.org/146th-general-conference-exhibition-business-agenda.

Former President Trump will address the National Guard Association (NGAUS) Monday afternoon at the organization’s conference, currently underway in Detroit. Officers from each state’s Army and Air National Guard, Defense Department officials and policy makers attend this annual gathering of the NGAUS, a nonprofit lobby group. Earlier today, Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery to honor 13 U.S. service members who lost their lives Aug. 26, 2021, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. The former president has said that the blame for their deaths lies with President Biden’s execution of the action. Both President Biden and Vice President Harris also offered their respect to the fallen soldiers on the anniversary of Kabul airport bombing that cost them their lives. Trump is expected to speak at the NGAUS General Conference & Exhibition at 2 p.m. EDT.

FULL SPEECH: Trump Addresses the National Guard Association of the U.S. in Detroit - 8/26/24