Former Democratic congresswoman and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Friday that she will resign from President Donald Trump’s administration, citing her husband’s ongoing battle with a rare form of bone cancer.
Gabbard said in a resignation letter posted to social media that she plans to officially leave office on June 30 in order to focus on supporting her husband through what she described as a difficult medical battle 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.
President Trump responded publicly to the announcement, praising Gabbard for her service and confirming that Principal Deputy Director Aaron Lukas will serve as acting director of national intelligence.
“Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her,” Trump said.
Gabbard’s departure makes her the fourth Cabinet-level official to leave Trump’s second administration. Her resignation also comes amid reported internal tensions over U.S. military involvement in Iran.
The former Hawaii congresswoman, military veteran, and longtime critic of foreign wars reportedly found herself increasingly at odds with the administration following recent U.S. military strikes involving Iran.
During congressional testimony earlier this year, Gabbard stopped short of fully endorsing the administration’s military posture toward Tehran and repeatedly emphasized that intelligence agencies do not determine whether military threats are imminent.
“It is not the intelligence community’s responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat,” she told lawmakers.
Gabbard also faced scrutiny after previous comments indicating there was no evidence Iran was actively rebuilding its nuclear weapons program following earlier U.S. strikes.
Trump later publicly contradicted portions of those assessments while defending military operations against Iran.
Despite policy disagreements, Gabbard remained a visible ally of the president throughout much of his second term and played a major role in administration efforts tied to election security, intelligence reform, and government restructuring.
Before joining the Trump administration, Gabbard gained national attention during her 2020 presidential campaign, where she built a reputation as an anti-war Democrat critical of U.S. intervention overseas. She later left the Democratic Party and eventually endorsed Trump.
Aaron Lukas, a former intelligence adviser during Trump’s first administration, will temporarily assume leadership of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
