Tulsi Gabbard notified President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office Friday that she will resign as Director of National Intelligence. Her last day at ODNI is expected to be June 30.
In her formal resignation letter, Gabbard stated: “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. He 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.”
Gabbard emphasized that her husband “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.” She added: “His strength and love have sustained me through every challenge. I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming position.”
The news broke within minutes of the president saying he plans to remain at the White House this weekend — rather than at his New Jersey golf course — fueling speculation he’s poised to resume attacks on the Islamic Republic.
Gabbard has publicly remained loyal to Trump during Operation Epic Fury, testifying to the Senate in March that “the intelligence community assessed that Iran maintained the intention to rebuild and to continue to grow their nuclear enrichment capability.”
She had previously supported efforts to investigate alleged vote fraud in the 2020 election. Gabbard has rarely been at the forefront of the administration — with President Trump often highlighting CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s contributions.
Her departure follows the fiery resignation in March of her former subordinate Joe Kent, the onetime head of the National Counterterrorism Center, who claimed Israel had duped Trump into attacking Iran.
