Tulsi Gabbard resigns as Director of National Intelligence, marking another high-profile exit from Trump administration

Tulsi Gabbard on Friday (local time) announced that she is stepping down from her role as President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence, Fox News reported, citing her resignation letter. The report stated that Gabbard informed Trump of her decision during an Oval Office meeting, and her resignation will take effect on June 30. Also Read | Was Trump ready to fire Tulsi over war testimony? Report claims Stone intervened Trump reacts to Gabbard's resignation Shortly after Gabbard resigned from her position, Trump, in a Truth Social post, wrote, "Unfortunately, after having done a great job, Tulsi Gabbard will be leaving the Administration on June 30th. Her wonderful husband, Abraham, has been recently diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, and she, rightfully, wants to be with him, bringing him back to good health as they currently fight a tough battle together. I have no doubt he will soon be better than ever. Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her. Her highly respected Principal Deputy Director of Intelligence, Aaron Lukas, will serve as Acting Director of Intelligence." Gabbard resigns, citing personal reasons In her resignation letter, Gabbard told the US President she was "deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me and for the opportunity to lead the Office of the Director of Intelligence for the last year and a half." She added, "Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026. My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer." She further said that her husband "faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months," adding, "At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle." Gabbard noted that her husband, "Abraham has been my rock throughout our eleven years of marriage — standing steadfast through my deployment to East Africa on a Joint Special Operations mission, multiple political campaigns, and now my service in this role." "His strength and love have sustained me through every challenge," she continued. "I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming position." The former DNI said she has "made significant progress at the ODNI, advancing unprecedented transparency and restoring integrity to the intelligence community," but said she recognizes "there is still important work to be done." Gabbard led overhaul of intelligence community as DNI As DNI, Gabbard initiated a major overhaul of the intelligence community, focusing on downsizing the organization, cutting costs by more than $700 million annually, and eliminating DEI programmes within the intelligence network. This month, Gabbard also oversaw the declassification of more than 500,000 pages of government documents, including files linked to the Trump-Russia investigation and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, among others. Also Read | US FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigns amid turmoil in health agencies Gabbard also released declassified records related to the origins of the Trump-Russia “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation, claiming the documents indicated that officials in the former President Barack Obama administration had politicized intelligence concerning Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 election and used it against Trump following his first presidential win. Additionally, she also created the first-ever "Weaponization Working Group," which aimed at coordinating efforts across the federal government to expose former President Joe Biden's administration's weaponization of government. Gabbard’s Counterterrorism Center prevented over 10,000 individuals with ties to narco-terrorism from entering the country in 2025 and placed more than 85,000 similarly tied individuals on the terror watchlist.