US President-elect Donald Trump selected Tulsi Gabbard, an ex-Democratic congresswoman turned staunch supporter, as director of national intelligence on Wednesday. Gabbard, who holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve and has combat experience in Iraq, has consistently challenged established foreign policy views.
Her selection reflects Trump’s preference for appointing foreign policy sceptics who question American military interventions abroad.
Trump’s official announcement praised Gabbard’s “fearless spirit” and her potential contribution to intelligence agencies, emphasising “peace through strength.” The announcement noted her transition from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party, saying she switched “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.”
Roger Stone, Trump’s long-time associate who received a presidential pardon in 2020, initially shared the news on his X account, publishing the statement he claimed came directly from Trump.
If confirmed, Gabbard would work alongside John Ratcliffe, Trump’s CIA director nominee, as a principal intelligence adviser to the White House. Her responsibilities would include managing 18 intelligence organisations and coordinating the President’s Daily Brief, a crucial morning intelligence summary.
First Hindu elected to Congress
At 43, Gabbard was born in American Samoa and raised in Hawaii, with a brief period in the Philippines. Her political career began at 21 in Hawaii’s House of Representatives, interrupted by her National Guard deployment to Iraq.
As the first Hindu member of the House, she took her oath on the “Bhagavad Gita”. She also holds the distinction of being the first American Samoan in Congress. During her four terms, she notably challenged her party’s leadership. Her early backing of senator Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign elevated her national profile amongst progressives.
Her family includes her spouse, cinematographer Abraham Williams, and her father, Mike Gabbard, a state senator who transitioned from Republican to Democrat.
Presidential aspirations and party switch
Her 2020 Democratic presidential campaign emphasised a progressive agenda and opposition to American military interventions. She highlighted how US Middle Eastern conflicts had destabilised the region and compromised American safety. During the primaries, she notably confronted then-senator Kamala Harris about her prosecutorial record.
After withdrawing and supporting Biden’s candidacy, she later left the Democratic Party, criticising it as controlled by “an elitist cabal of warmongers” and “woke” ideologues. She subsequently aligned with Republicans, joined Fox News, and launched a podcast.
“Today’s Democratic Party is unrecognisable from the party I joined 20 years ago,” she said regarding her departure.
Prominence in Trump’s circle
Her endorsement of Trump this year significantly boosted her standing among his supporters. Frequently appearing with Robert F Kennedy Jr, Gabbard exemplified Trump’s claimed cross-party appeal. She assisted Trump’s debate preparation against Harris and publicly announced her Republican Party membership at a North Carolina rally in October, describing the Democratic Party as “completely unrecognizable”.
Trump has included both Gabbard and Kennedy in his transition team, potentially influencing staffing and policy decisions in a future administration.
Military service and intelligence background
Gabbard’s military career spans over twenty years in the Army National Guard, including deployments to Iraq and Kuwait. She received recognition with a Combat Medical Badge in 2005 for service during Operation Iraqi Freedom III, as confirmed by the Hawaii National Guard.
Unlike her predecessors, she lacks senior government experience, though she served two years on the House Homeland Security Committee.
The current director, Avril Haines, confirmed in 2021, brought extensive national security and intelligence experience and made history as the first female director.
Intelligence sector reform plans
Trump intends to restructure intelligence services, which he views with scepticism. He attributes past challenges to intelligence agencies’ alleged interference with his previous administration and campaigns.
He frequently references the “deep state”, describing career civil servants whom he considers insufficiently loyal. “We will clean out all of the corrupt actors in our national security and intelligence apparatus, and there are plenty of them,” Trump declared in 2023, outlining second-term priorities.
The director’s role, established in 2004 post-9/11, aims to enhance interagency cooperation and prevent intelligence failures. The office has been crucial in identifying and exposing disinformation from Russia, China, and Iran regarding voting and democracy before recent elections. Its responsibilities extend to cybersecurity, counterterrorism, and counterespionage