Tulsi Gabbard resigned on Friday as President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence, becoming the fourth Cabinet-level official to leave the administration during Trump’s second term. In a resignation letter posted on social media, Gabbard said she would formally step down on June 30 in order to care for her husband, who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.
“At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle,” Gabbard wrote, describing the serious medical challenges facing her family in the months ahead. Trump later confirmed the resignation in a social media statement, praising Gabbard’s performance and announcing that her principal deputy, Aaron Lukas, would serve as acting director of national intelligence.
Gabbard’s departure comes after months of speculation about tensions between her and the White House over U.S. military action against Iran. A longtime critic of American foreign wars, Gabbard had built much of her national political identity on opposition to military intervention in West Asia. Her position became increasingly complicated after the United States joined Israel in launching attacks on Iran earlier this year.
During congressional hearings in March, Gabbard repeatedly avoided directly endorsing Trump’s decision to strike Iranian targets. She also declined to answer questions about whether the administration had been warned about the possible consequences of the conflict, including the disruption of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. In testimony before lawmakers, she stated that there was no evidence Iran had attempted to rebuild its nuclear program after previous U.S. strikes had severely damaged its facilities.
Those remarks appeared to contradict Trump’s repeated claims that military action was necessary to stop an imminent nuclear threat from Tehran. The disagreement triggered awkward exchanges between Gabbard and lawmakers, with the intelligence chief emphasizing that it was not the role of the intelligence community to determine whether military action should be taken.
The resignation adds to growing instability inside Trump’s Cabinet during his second term. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was removed earlier this year following criticism over immigration enforcement and disaster response operations. Attorney General Pam Bondi also left the administration amid controversy surrounding the Justice Department’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein-related files, while Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned following misconduct investigations.
Gabbard’s appointment to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence had been viewed as one of the most unconventional choices of Trump’s presidency. Despite her military background and four terms in Congress representing Hawaii, she had no prior experience working in the intelligence community. Her political transformation from progressive Democratic presidential candidate to Trump ally also made her one of the administration’s most closely watched figures.
After leaving the Democratic Party in 2022, Gabbard accused party leaders of being controlled by “warmongers” and ideological extremists. She later became a frequent conservative media figure and endorsed Trump, whose criticism of past U.S. wars aligned with her own anti-interventionist message.
During her year leading the intelligence community, Gabbard oversaw major restructuring efforts, including workforce reductions and the creation of a new task force examining reforms across America’s intelligence agencies. She also faced fierce criticism from Democrats, including allegations from a whistleblower who claimed intelligence assessments were being withheld for political reasons.
Gabbard additionally drew attention for supporting Trump’s continued efforts to challenge the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. She participated in investigations related to election operations in Georgia, despite her office traditionally focusing on foreign intelligence and national security rather than domestic electoral matters.
Born in American Samoa and raised in Hawaii, Gabbard first entered politics at age 21 when she was elected to Hawaii’s state legislature. She later became the first Hindu member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the first American Samoan elected to Congress. Over time, she developed a national profile as an outspoken critic of her own party’s leadership and an advocate for reducing U.S. military involvement abroad.
