Politics makes for some weird-looking photos in the rearview mirror. Take a look back at 2016. You’ll see Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard standing shoulder-to-shoulder, the ultimate anti-establishment duo. Back then, it felt like they were the future of a new, gritty kind of progressivism. Now? One is still the face of the American Left, and the other is the Director of National Intelligence in a Donald Trump cabinet.
It’s wild.
If you followed the 2016 primary, you remember the moment. Gabbard didn't just endorse him; she lit her own career on fire to do it. She resigned as the Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), essentially accusing the party of rigging the game for Hillary Clinton. That move made her a hero to the "Bernie or Bust" crowd. Fast forward a decade, and that alliance hasn't just frayed—it has basically vaporized. Understanding why that happened tells us a lot about how American politics shifted from a battle of "Left vs. Right" to "Establishment vs. Outsider."
The 2016 Bromance (and Why It Was Real)
When Tulsi Gabbard stepped down from the DNC, she didn't do it quietly. She went on Meet the Press and talked about the "human cost of war." As an Iraq War veteran, her endorsement gave Bernie something he desperately lacked: foreign policy street cred. Critics were always hammering Bernie for being a "one-issue candidate" focused only on economics. Tulsi changed that.
They were a perfect match on paper. Both hated "regime change wars." Both thought the DNC was a swamp of corporate influence. Bernie called her a "role model" for a new generation of leaders. For a few years, if you saw a Bernie rally, there was a decent chance Tulsi was nearby, talking about peace and the military-industrial complex.
But there were always cracks. Even in the early days, Tulsi's "anti-war" stance was different from Bernie's. Bernie’s was rooted in a socialist's skepticism of imperialism. Tulsi’s was more of a "hawk-turned-isolationist" vibe. She was fine with using drones to kill terrorists; she just didn't want to topple dictators.
The 2020 Shift
Everything changed when they both ran for president in 2020. Suddenly, they weren't teammates; they were competitors for the same "anti-establishment" lane.
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The primary was messy. While Bernie was gaining serious momentum as the frontrunner, Tulsi was stuck at the back of the pack, getting into legendary on-stage spats with Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton. Remember when Clinton called her a "Russian asset"? That was a turning point. Bernie actually stood up for her then. He said it was "outrageous" to suggest she was a foreign agent.
But the real split happened in March 2020. Bernie was still in the race, fighting a losing battle against the consolidated "moderate" wing of the party. Tulsi dropped out and endorsed... Joe Biden.
Wait, what?
Yeah. The woman who blew up her DNC career to support Bernie's "revolution" passed him over when he actually had a shot at the nomination. She chose the ultimate establishment candidate. It was the first sign that the Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard alliance was effectively dead.
Two Different Paths to "Outsider" Status
To understand the fallout, you have to look at what happened after 2020. Bernie stayed in the Senate, took over the Budget Committee, and tried to work within the system to pass things like the Inflation Reduction Act. He chose the "inside game."
Tulsi went the other way. She left Congress, left the Democratic Party in 2022, and started appearing at CPAC. She rebranded herself. By the time 2024 rolled around, she wasn't just a Republican—she was one of Donald Trump's most effective surrogates.
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- Bernie's Focus: Health care, unions, taxing the 1%.
- Tulsi's Focus: "Woke" culture, border security, and dismantling the "deep state."
Honestly, it’s a masterclass in how "populism" can split into two completely different directions. Bernie’s populism is about class. Tulsi’s became about culture and national security.
The Confirmation Fight of 2025
The final nail in the coffin came in early 2025. After Trump won his second term, he nominated Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The Senate confirmation hearings were a bloodbath.
Republicans hailed her as a brave veteran who would "depoliticize" the CIA. Democrats, including many of Bernie’s closest allies, called her a security risk because of her past meetings with Bashar al-Assad and her skepticism toward the war in Ukraine.
Where was Bernie? He wasn't defending her this time. The man who once called her a "new generation of leader" voted against her. The vote was 52-48. She got in, but she did it without a single Democratic vote. The bridge wasn't just burned; it was dismantled and sold for parts.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often think Tulsi "betrayed" Bernie or that Bernie "abandoned" his principles. It’s more complicated than that.
The truth is, they were never as aligned as we thought. Their 2016 alliance was a marriage of convenience. They both hated the Clinton-led DNC, and that was enough to keep them together. But once the common enemy was gone, their fundamental differences came out. Bernie is a true believer in the power of government to help people. Tulsi, especially in her later years, became deeply cynical about government institutions themselves.
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Actionable Insights: Lessons from the Split
If you're looking at the political landscape today, the saga of Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard offers some pretty clear takeaways for anyone trying to navigate the "outsider" space.
1. Don't confuse "anti-establishment" with "aligned." Just because two people hate the same person doesn't mean they like each other’s solutions. You see this today with the crossover between the "alt-left" and "alt-right." They agree the system is broken, but they'd fight a civil war over how to fix it.
2. Watch the "Endorsement Pivot."
Endorsements in primaries often tell you more about a candidate's future than their past. Tulsi's 2020 endorsement of Biden was the clearest signal that she was moving away from the progressive movement and toward a more "heterodox" (and eventually conservative) path.
3. The Policy vs. Persona Divide.
Bernie is defined by his policies (Medicare for All). Tulsi is defined by her persona (the dissident veteran). Policies tend to keep you in a specific lane; a persona allows you to jump lanes entirely.
The story of Bernie and Tulsi isn't just about two people. It’s the story of how the "anti-war" movement of the 2010s morphed into the "anti-deep state" movement of the 2020s. It’s a messy, weird, and deeply human transition that shows just how fast the "future" of politics can become its history.