Tulsi Gabbard Resignation: She Quits as Trump’s Intel Chief

Tulsi Gabbard – (Web Desk) – Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) caught Washington off guard on Friday. She announced she is stepping down to care for her husband, Abraham Williams, who has been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer.

In her heartfelt letter to President Trump, Gabbard wrote that her husband “faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months.” She said she simply could not stay in such a demanding role while he fights this battle alone.

Trump responded warmly, saying Tulsi “has done an incredible job” and that she “rightfully” wants to be by her husband’s side. He named her deputy, Aaron Lukas, as acting Director of National Intelligence.

Gabbard and Williams share a love story many would envy. The two met while filming campaign ads, and he proposed to her during a sunset surf session in Hawaii. They married in a traditional Hindu ceremony, reflecting the faith Gabbard was raised in.

Her tenure as DNI was never without controversy. A former Democratic congresswoman, she had a well-known history of opposing US military intervention abroad — especially against Iran. That put her at odds with Trump as he moved toward launching joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

Reports say Gabbard was not even in the room when Trump met with his top advisors before ordering those strikes. She also publicly refused to back the administration’s claim that Iran posed an imminent threat — a key reason given for going to war.

Behind the scenes, tensions had been building for months. White House insiders had reportedly urged her to step down before the midterms. She had also declined to rule out a 2026 presidential run, which added to the friction.

The White House firmly denied forcing her out. Her chief of staff called such claims “false,” and a White House spokesman called any suggestion of a forced exit “slanderous.”

Gabbard becomes the fourth high-profile woman to leave Trump’s cabinet this year, following Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi, and Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Her last official day is June 30, 2026.