Tulsi Gabbard has announced she is stepping down as President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence, citing her husband’s serious illness as the reason for leaving the administration.
Gabbard said her husband, Abraham Williams, had been diagnosed with “an extremely rare form of bone cancer” and would require her full support in the months ahead.
“At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle,” Gabbard wrote in her resignation letter.
Her resignation will take effect June 30.
Trump praised Gabbard’s work in a post on Truth Social, writing: “I have no doubt he will soon be better than ever. Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her.”
The story was first reported by The 19th and later confirmed by multiple national outlets.
Another high-profile departure
Gabbard becomes the fourth woman to leave Trump’s Cabinet within the past three months, following the departures of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, former Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
Trump said deputy intelligence official Aaron Lukas would serve as acting director following Gabbard’s departure.
Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and military veteran, became one of the most unusual members of Trump’s political coalition after leaving the Democratic Party and aligning herself with the MAGA movement.
She was confirmed as director of national intelligence in early 2025 despite criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans over her limited intelligence background and past foreign policy positions.
Tensions inside the administration
Although Gabbard publicly attributed her resignation to family concerns, reports also suggested growing tensions within the administration over national security policy, particularly regarding Iran.
According to Reuters and The Guardian, some White House officials had become frustrated with Gabbard’s handling of intelligence disputes and her reluctance to criticize former deputy Joe Kent, who resigned earlier this year after disagreements related to the Iran conflict.
Her tenure also drew controversy over efforts involving election security investigations and declassification initiatives tied to long-running political disputes surrounding the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Despite those controversies, Gabbard remained a highly recognizable figure within Trump’s administration because of her unusual political evolution from progressive Democratic presidential candidate to conservative national security official.
Her departure adds to continuing turnover inside the Trump administration as the White House faces growing political pressure over foreign policy, economic issues and internal disagreements ahead of the midterm election season.
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