BREAKING: Trump Weighing Firing Tulsi Gabbard as Intelligence Chief
Donald Trump has been privately asking cabinet officials whether he should remove Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, according to two people briefed on the conversations.
The discussions follow Trump’s anger over Gabbard’s congressional testimony last month, where she declined to condemn a former deputy who publicly argued Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States — directly undercutting Trump’s justification for going to war.
Trump’s frustration has been building for months. He was irritated when Gabbard recorded a video warning about the dangers of nuclear war after visiting Hiroshima. He publicly contradicted her testimony that Iran had not decided to build a nuclear weapon, telling reporters flatly “she’s wrong” before ordering strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Then Gabbard revoked the security clearances of 37 people without White House sign-off, triggering an internal firestorm.
When asked directly on Sunday whether he still had confidence in Gabbard, Trump’s response was notably lukewarm. “Yeah, sure,” he told reporters. “She’s a little bit different in her thought process than me.”
Advisers have cautioned Trump against moving too quickly, warning that a high-profile vacancy without a ready successor could create political headaches.