Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran, said that she would not let her differences with Donald Trump undermine America’s national security. | Getty

Gabbard said she urged Trump to ignore the neocons during meeting


Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) said she and President-elect Donald Trump had a frank conversation at Trump Tower on Monday about American policy abroad and the need to avoid any escalations that could lead the nation into war.


A former top official at the Democratic National Committee who resigned to campaign for Bernie Sanders, Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran, said she would not let her differences with Trump undermine America’s national security.

During his presidential campaign, Trump expressed skepticism about the neoconservative and interventionist line of thinking. However, then-candidate Trump’s claims that he opposed the Iraq war are simply not true.

After the meeting, Trump's former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway offered praise for the Hawaii congresswoman, and those like her, who are pushing the Democratic Party to expand their base.

"Rep. Gabbard went against her party, quite boldly, early on, and I think you are hearing people like Rep. Tim Ryan also raising concerns," Conway said. "Bernie Sanders today was also quoted as saying that they should stop identity politics in the Democratic Party. Whoa. He can call and we'll tell him how to do that and win. So I think there's a recognition that there's a big country, a massive amount of voters that feel disaffected from their party, the Democrats."