View gallery
Tulsi Gabbard was confirmed because the Director of Nationwide Intelligence by the Senate in February 2025 with a slim 52-48 vote. She was initially appointed to the place by President Donald Trump as a part of a collection of peculiar nominations to key authorities roles.
After being sworn in on the White Home, Gabbard addressed the nation, stating, “Sadly, the American individuals have little or no belief within the intelligence group, largely as a result of they’ve seen the weaponization and politicization of an entity that’s alleged to be purely targeted on making certain our nationwide safety.” She promised to “give attention to making certain the protection, safety, and freedom of the American individuals” in her new position.
In August 2024, the previous congresswoman endorsed Trump for his presidential bid on the Nationwide Guard Affiliation’s annual assembly in Michigan. Simply two months later, on October 22, 2024, she made a proper announcement at a Trump rally in North Carolina, declaring her determination to affix the Republican Occasion. Nevertheless, Gabbard’s political journey hasn’t all the time aligned with Trump. Earlier than her shift to the Republican Occasion, Gabbard—who was elected to Hawaii’s Home of Representatives at simply 21—was recognized for championing liberal causes, together with government-run healthcare, free school tuition, and gun management.
Discover out extra about her under.
She Made Historical past because the First Hindu and Samoan Congressperson in US Historical past
Gabbard is from Leloaloa, a small village on Tutuila Island in American Samoa. In 2012, she made historical past by changing into the primary Samoan-American member of Congress, representing Hawaii’s second district for 4 phrases. Raised in a multi-faith family that practiced each Christianity and Hinduism, Gabbard can also be notable for being the primary Hindu ever to serve in Congress.
Gabbard didn’t search re-election in 2020, selecting as a substitute to give attention to her presidential marketing campaign. Since leaving Congress, Gabbard has launched a podcast referred to as The Tulsi Gabbard Present and has made a number of appearances on Fox Information and comic Joe Rogan‘s podcast. Moreover, she spoke on the Conservative Political Motion Convention (CPAC) in February 2022, additional aligning herself with conservative circles.
She Left the Democratic Occasion in 2022
In 2022, Gabbard introduced her departure from the Democratic Occasion in a video message posted to X on October 11, the place she outlined a protracted checklist of causes for her determination to depart.
“I can not stay in at the moment’s Democratic occasion that’s underneath the whole management of an elitist cabal of warmongers, who’re pushed by cowardly woke-ness, who divide us by racializing each problem and stoking anti-white racism, who actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms which might be enshrined in our Structure, who’re hostile to individuals of religion and spirituality, who demonize the police however defend criminals on the expense of law-abiding Individuals, who consider in open borders, who weaponize the nationwide safety state to go after their political opponents, and above all, who’re dragging us ever nearer to nuclear warfare,” she mentioned whereas offering broad speaking factors about her grievances.
After itemizing her causes, Gabbard referred to as on extra Democrats to depart the occasion. “I consider in a authorities that’s of the individuals, by the individuals, and for the individuals. Sadly, at the moment’s Democratic occasion doesn’t. As a substitute, it stands for a authorities that’s of, by, and for the highly effective elite. Now, I’m calling on my fellow frequent sense, independent-minded Democrats to affix me in leaving the Democratic occasion,” she mentioned.
She Is a Fight Veteran
In 2004, Gabbard left the Hawaii State Home of Representatives to deploy with the Hawaii Nationwide Guard in a medical unit to Iraq. She volunteered for an additional deployment in 2008, this time serving as a navy police platoon chief, coaching counterterrorism items, based on a profile from The Atlantic. Through the years between her deployments, Gabbard graduated on the prime of her class from Officer Candidate Faculty in Alabama.
Together with Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, Gabbard is among the first feminine fight veterans ever elected to Congress. Notably, she additionally holds the excellence of being the primary feminine fight veteran to run for president.
She Ran for President in 2020
Lengthy earlier than she left the Democratic occasion, Gabbard was on the first ticket within the 2020 election in an try to run in opposition to Trump. The Democratic consultant from Hawaii made the announcement on Jan. 11, 2019, telling CNN’s Van Jones, “I’ve determined to run and can be making a proper announcement inside the subsequent week…There are a number of causes for me to make this determination. There are a number of challenges which might be dealing with the American those who I’m involved about and that I need to assist remedy.”
She defined that the important thing points that her marketing campaign targeted on included healthcare, felony justice reform, and local weather change. “There’s one important problem that’s central to the remaining, and that’s the problem of warfare and peace,” Gabbard mentioned throughout her announcement on CNN. “I sit up for with the ability to get into this and to speak about it in depth.”
She Has Been Accused of Having Russian Ties
Whereas Gabbard sought the Democratic presidential nomination, Russian state propaganda typically portrayed her favorably, whereas concurrently denigrating different Democratic candidates, together with Joe Biden, based on analysis from the International Coverage Analysis Institute, a Philadelphia-based suppose tank.
Gabbard has additionally sparked controversy with a number of statements about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, notably claiming that the U.S. has funded organic weapons laboratories in Ukraine. On the day Russia invaded, she wrote on social media that the warfare may have been prevented if the U.S. and its Western allies had acknowledged Russia’s “authentic safety considerations” relating to Ukraine’s bid to affix NATO.
These remarks have led many to accuse her of amplifying Russian propaganda. Republicans in Congress, together with former Consultant Adam Kinzinger, referred to as Gabbard’s statements “traitorous” and accused her of embracing “Russian propaganda.” Senator Mitt Romney additionally criticized her, stating that she was “parroting faux Russian propaganda.”
