Meet Trump’s Surprising Intelligence Pick: Tulsi Gabbard – What You Need to Know

On Wednesday, US President-elect Donald Trump appointed former Democratic lawmaker and ardent Trump supporter Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Currently a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve with combat experience in Iraq, Gabbard has a history of questioning conventional wisdom in foreign policy.
Trump’s preference for selecting foreign policy skeptics who doubt US military actions overseas is reflected in her appointment. In his formal statement, Trump emphasized “peace through strength” while praising Gabbard’s “fearless spirit” and her capacity to assist intelligence services. According to the announcement, she changed parties “because of President Trump’s leadership and how he has been able to transform the Republican Party, bringing it back to the party of the people and the party of peace.” She had previously been a member of the Democratic Party.

Initially, Roger Stone, a longtime Trump associate who was pardoned by the president in 2020, posted the remark he said was straight from Trump on his X account. If confirmed, Gabbard would serve as the White House’s main intelligence adviser, collaborating with Trump’s candidate for CIA director, John Ratcliffe. Coordinating the President’s Daily Brief, a vital morning intelligence overview, and overseeing 18 intelligence organizations would be among her duties.

Gabbard, the first elected Hindu member of Congress, grew up in Hawaii after being born in American Samoa. Her National Guard deployment to Iraq interrupted her 21-year-old start in the Hawaii House of Representatives.
She took the “Bhagavad Gita” oath as the first Hindu member of the House. In addition, she is the first American Samoan to serve in Congress. She prominently contested the leadership of her party during her four tenure. Her early support of Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign raised her popularity among progressives around the country. Her father, Mike Gabbard, a state senator who switched from Republican to Democrat, and her husband, cinematographer Abraham Williams, are part of her family.

Opposition to US military adventures and a progressive agenda were key components of her 2020 Democratic presidential campaign. She emphasized how American safety has been jeopardized and the region destabilized by US Middle Eastern conflicts. She famously questioned then-Senator Kamala Harris on her prosecutorial background during the primaries. In addition, she is the first American Samoan to serve in Congress. She prominently contested the leadership of her party during her four tenure. Her early support of Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign raised her popularity among progressives around the country.

Her father, Mike Gabbard, a state senator who switched from Republican to Democrat, and her husband, cinematographer Abraham Williams, are part of her family.
Party switching and presidential aspirations. Opposition to US military adventures and a progressive agenda were key components of her 2020 Democratic presidential campaign. She emphasized how American safety has been jeopardized and the region destabilized by US Middle Eastern conflicts. She famously questioned then-Senator Kamala Harris on her prosecutorial background during the primaries. Both Kennedy and Gabbard are part of Trump’s transition team, which might have an impact on future administrations’ hiring practices and policy choices.

Background in intelligence and military duty Gabbard has served in the Army National Guard for more than 20 years, including assignments in Kuwait and Iraq. The Hawaii National Guard confirmed that she was awarded a Combat Medical Badge in 2005 for her efforts during Operation Iraqi Freedom III.
Despite spending two years on the House Homeland Security Committee, she does not have senior government experience like her predecessors did. Confirmed in 2021, the current director, Avril Haines, made history as the first female director and brought a wealth of experience in intelligence and national security.

He blames earlier setbacks on alleged meddling by intelligence services in his former campaign and administration.
He makes frequent allusions to the “deep state” when discussing career public officers that he believes lack enough loyalty. In 2023, Trump outlined his second-term agenda, saying, “We will clean out all of the corrupt actors in our national security and intelligence apparatus, and there are plenty of them.” Established in 2004 following 9/11, the director’s job is to improve interagency collaboration and avoid intelligence lapses. Prior to the most recent elections, the office played a critical role in spotting and exposing Russian, Chinese, and Iranian misinformation about voting and democracy. Cybersecurity, counterterrorism, and counterespionage are among its duties.