Tulsi Gabbard announced Friday that she is stepping down as President Trump’s director of national intelligence so she can support her husband after he was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.
In a letter to the president, Gabbard expressed gratitude for the opportunity to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and said her husband’s long-standing support compelled her to be by his side. She wrote that his strength and love have sustained her and that she could not, in good conscience, ask him to face treatment alone while she remained in a demanding, time-consuming post.
President Trump praised Gabbard on Truth Social, saying she had done “an incredible job” and that the administration would miss her. He confirmed the diagnosis of her husband, Abraham, and announced that Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Aaron Lukas will serve as acting director.
Gabbard, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in February, becomes the latest Cabinet official to leave the Trump administration, following departures such as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
A former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, Gabbard rose to national attention as a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate before shifting her political alignment and becoming a prominent Trump supporter and conservative media figure. She made history as the first Hindu elected to the House of Representatives in 2012 and is a combat veteran who served as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve.
As director of national intelligence, Gabbard oversaw the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies. Her appointment and tenure were marked by a number of controversies and sharp policy positions. Long known as an outspoken critic of U.S. military interventions overseas, she had publicly criticized President Biden’s handling of global conflicts, including his support for Ukraine.
During her confirmation hearings, senators and observers raised concerns about her limited experience in the intelligence community and questioned past statements, including her 2017 meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and earlier defenses of figures such as Edward Snowden. Gabbard defended her record during the process.
Her time as DNI also featured tensions over assessments of Iran’s nuclear activities. In March she told Congress the intelligence community did not believe Iran was building a nuclear weapon, a position at odds with Israel’s assessment and, at times, with President Trump’s public statements. In late June, after the president said Iran could have nuclear weapons “within a matter of weeks, or certainly within a matter of months,” he publicly disagreed with Gabbard, saying, “She’s wrong.”
Gabbard’s resignation cites family health as the reason for her departure; she said she wants to focus on helping her husband through treatment and recovery after he has supported her through many challenges. The administration has named a temporary successor while the search for a permanent director proceeds.