Hawaii congresswoman says Tulsi Gabbard endorsing Trump is ‘not pono’

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, criticized former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard after she endorsed Donald Trump and joined his transition team.

Gabbard, who previously represented Tokuda’s congressional district from 2013 to 2021 and supported President Joe Biden in 2020, announced her endorsement of Trump at a National Guard event in Detroit last week. Tokuda quickly fired back on social media, saying Gabbard’s decision doesn’t align with the Aloha State.

“Trump and Tulsi do not represent Hawaii values and fail to fight for our freedoms,” Tokuda posted on Facebook. “We will reject their extremism this November. This is not pono.”

“Pono” is a term in Hawaiian culture that signifies righteousness, integrity, and moral responsibility. By saying Gabbard’s endorsement of Trump is “not pono,” Tokuda argues it goes against the ethical balance Hawaiians hold dear. The concept is embedded in Hawaii’s state motto, “Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono,” which means “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.”

Gabbard ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 and left the party in 2022 to become an independent. Increasingly critical of Biden and his administration, she is now popular among conservatives, frequently appearing as a guest on far-right TV and radio shows.

Trump’s campaign said that former White House hopefuls Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who recently suspended his campaign, and Tulsi Gabbard are now part of his transition team if he wins November’s U.S. presidential election.

Reuters contributed to the reporting of this story.

Jeremy Yurow is a politics reporting fellow based in Hawaii for the USA TODAY Network. You can reach him at JYurow@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter @JeremyYurow