WASHINGTON: Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, has submitted her resignation to President Donald Trump on Friday, saying she was stepping down from her post to support her husband following his recent diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer.
“My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer,” Ms. Gabbard said in her resignation letter.
“He faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months. At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle,” she said.
In her resignation letter, she told Trump she was “deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me and for the opportunity to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for the last year and a half”.
I am deeply grateful for the trust President Trump placed in me and for the opportunity to lead @ODNIgov for the last year and a half.
Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026. My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare… pic.twitter.com/PS0Dxp5zpd
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) May 22, 2026
In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump shared Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation letter and thanked her for her service as director of national intelligence in his administration.
“Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her,” he wrote. The president said Gabbard’s deputy, Aaron Lukas, would take over as the acting director.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 22, 2026
President Donald Trump announced that Aaron Lukas, deputy to Tulsi Gabbard, will serve as acting director of national intelligence.
It is pertinent to mention that last year the US Senate had confirmed former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence in a narrow 52-48 vote.
The Republican-led majority backed her nomination, though former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell joined Democrats in voting against her confirmation.
Her nomination process was bumpy, and at times she seemed at risk of losing valuable Republican votes, mostly because of inexperience in intelligence.
As director, Gabbard oversaw 18 intelligence agencies including the CIA, FBI, and National Security Agency (NSA), and manage da budget of more than $70bn.
After her failed bid for president in the 2020 election, Gabbard became one of Trump’s most loyal supporters. She quit the Democratic Party in 2022 and registered as an independent, and then became a contributor on Fox News where she was an outspoken Trump supporter.
