Tulsi Gabbard will resign as US director of national intelligence at the end of June, citing her husband's recent bone cancer diagnosis as the reason for leaving the Trump administration.
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In a resignation letter obtained by CBS News, Gabbard said she could not continue in such a demanding role while her husband, Abraham, faces serious health challenges.
“His strength and love have sustained me through every challenge,” she wrote. “I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming position.”
US President Donald Trump praised Gabbard in a social media post, saying she had “done an incredible job” and would be missed. He added that she wanted to focus on supporting her husband during his treatment.
Her resignation takes effect on 30 June. Aaron Lukas, the principal deputy director of national intelligence, will serve as acting director, Trump said.
Tensions Over Iran Policy
Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, became one of Trump’s most prominent intelligence officials after being confirmed in early 2025. However, she has maintained a lower public profile in recent months as the administration intensified its foreign policy actions involving Iran, Cuba and Venezuela.
Known for her long-standing opposition to US military intervention abroad, Gabbard faced scrutiny after the United States joined Israeli strikes on Iran. She stopped short of fully endorsing the decision and avoided directly answering questions during a congressional hearing in March about whether the administration understood the potential consequences of the conflict.
She also came under pressure from Democrats over what they viewed as inconsistencies between intelligence assessments and White House statements regarding Iran’s nuclear programme.
Last year, Trump publicly dismissed Gabbard’s testimony to Congress that Iran was not actively seeking to build a nuclear weapon.
“I don’t care what she said,” Trump told reporters at the time. “I think they were very close to having a weapon.”
The president has repeatedly cited Iran’s nuclear capabilities as justification for US military action.
Senior Departures From Administration
Gabbard is the fourth Cabinet-level official to leave the Trump administration this year. Former labor secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer departed in April, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi also stepped down earlier in 2026.
Her resignation follows the earlier departure of her top aide, former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, who left over disagreements concerning US policy toward Iran. Kent had urged Trump to “reverse course” on the conflict.
After Kent resigned, Gabbard publicly defended the president’s approach, saying the commander-in-chief was responsible for deciding what constituted an imminent threat to the United States.
From Democrat to Trump Ally
A military veteran who served in Iraq with a medical unit, Gabbard first entered politics in 2002 when she was elected to the Hawaii Legislature at the age of 21, becoming the youngest person ever elected in the state.
She later served in Congress as a Democrat from 2013 to 2021 and became the first Hindu member of the US House of Representatives.
Gabbard ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020 on an anti-interventionist platform. Two years later, she left the Democratic Party, accusing it of being controlled by what she called an “elitist cabal of warmongers”.
After becoming a political commentator on Fox News, she increasingly aligned herself with Trump, endorsing him during the 2024 presidential campaign and joining his transition team after the election.
Trump later nominated her to lead the US intelligence community, a role that oversees coordination among multiple intelligence agencies and advises the president on national security matters.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 23 May 2026
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