Who is Tulsi Gabbard? First Hindu US Intelligence Chief Quits Trump Cabinet

Tulsi Gabbard will be resigning as Director of National Intelligence from Donal Trump’s cabinet, Fox News reported. The report said Gabbard has taken the decision to support her husband through his battle with “an extremely rare form of bone cancer.”

Gabbard notified Trump of her decision during a meeting in the Oval Office Friday. Her last day at ODNI is expected to be June 30. In her letter, Gabbard wrote she is “deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me and for the opportunity to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for the last year and a half.”

“Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026,” she wrote. “My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer.”

Gabbard further said her husband “faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months.”

“At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle,” she wrote. Gabbard 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.”

Who Is Tulsi Gabbad?

Tulsi Gabbard served in a medical unit during the Iraq war and has broken several records in her political career.

In 2002, she was elected to the Hawaii State Legislature at just 21 years old, becoming the youngest person ever elected in the state. She left after one term when her National Guard unit was sent to Iraq.

Later, she represented Hawaii in the US Congress from 2013 to 2021 and became the first Hindu member of the House of Representatives.

Earlier in her career, she supported liberal policies such as government-funded healthcare, free college education, and stricter gun laws. She also ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 but later dropped out and supported Joe Biden.

Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022 and became an independent. She accused the party of being controlled by what she called an “elitist cabal of warmongers” and criticised its focus on “cowardly wokeness.”

Also Read: US Tightens Green Card Rules: How New Immigration Policy Will Impact Students, Workers And Visa Seekers