Tulsi Gabbard, a former House member who ran for president in 2020 as a Democrat and then left the party, on Wednesday embraced the idea of joining Donald J. Trump as his running mate on the Republican ticket.
“If asked to serve in that way, I would be honored to do so,” Ms. Gabbard said in response to a question from the audience during a speech at the Richard M. Nixon Library and Museum in California. She was promoting her book about her estrangement from the political left.
Ms. Gabbard, an independent, is considered a long shot for the role, but has drawn intrigue from Mr. Trump with her criticism of Democrats and her visibility on conservative news outlets. She has visited Mr. Trump multiple times at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida.
Mr. Trump has said that he is likely to make his choice closer to the Republican National Convention in mid-July.
During her speech on Wednesday, Ms. Gabbard assailed the hush-money case against Mr. Trump in New York and said that it was politically motivated.
When she was in the House, Ms. Gabbard voted “present” on both articles of impeachment against Mr. Trump in 2019. She was no longer in Congress during his second impeachment.
Michael C. Bender contributed reporting.
