Tulsi Gabbard has announced that she is preparing to step down as the nation’s Director of National Intelligence at the end of next month, citing her husband’s severe cancer diagnosis.
As first reported by Fox News, Director Gabbard explained that her husband has “an extremely rare form of bone cancer” so she will be stepping away from her position in the cabinet.
Gabbard notified President Trump of her intent to step away from the position during an Oval Office meeting Friday. Her resignation is set to be effective as of June 30, 2026.
“At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle,” Gabbard reportedly said in her resignation letter.
“Abraham has been my rock throughout our eleven years of marriage — standing steadfast through my deployment to East Africa on a Joint Special Operations mission, multiple political campaigns and now my service in this role,” she continued.
“His strength and love have sustained me through every challenge,” she wrote. “I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming position.”
Gabbard went on to say that she has “made significant progress at the ODNI — advancing unprecedented transparency and restoring integrity to the intelligence community,” but that “there is still important work to be done.”
“I am fully committed to ensuring a smooth and thorough transition over the coming weeks so that you and your team experience no disruption in leadership or momentum,” she said.
“Thank you for your understanding during this deeply personal and difficult time for our family,” she concluded. “I will remain forever grateful to you and to the American people for the profound honor of serving our nation as DNI.”
