Director of National Intelligence of the United States Tulsi Gabbard resigned. The corresponding statement she published in the social network X.
“It has been a great honour to serve the American people as Director of National Intelligence,” she noted.
In the statement, Gabbard writes that her husband has been diagnosed with an “extremely rare form of bone cancer” and she has decided to leave her post to support him.
Gabbard will leave the administration on 30 June.
US President Donald Trump has announced that Tulsi Gabbard’s deputy, Aaron Lucas, will become acting director of National Intelligence. He added that Gabbard “has done an incredible job”.
Meanwhile, Reuters quoted a source as saying that the White House has forced Gabbard to resign. The White House has not commented on such statements, but spokesperson Davis Ingle wrote in X that Gabbard is resigning because of her husband’s diagnosis.
Trump has hinted at disagreements with Gabbard in the past, particularly over their approach to Iran, saying in March that she was “softer” than him on curbing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
In April, Trump sent Attorney General Pam Bondi to resign. Reuters sources said Trump planned to continue reshuffling his cabinet amid mounting pressure over war with Iran. And in April, several sources told Reuters that Gabbard could lose his role in that reshuffle.
Gabbard was named director of US National Intelligence in February 2025. Her nomination was proposed by Trump. Shortly after her appointment, she fired more than 100 intelligence officials and planned to reduce her staff by 40 per cent.
Gabbard represented the state of Hawaii in the House of Representatives of Congress from 2013 to 2021. Prior to that, she served in the US Army and left it with the rank of lieutenant colonel.