Gabbard resigns as national intelligence director citing husband's cancer diagnosis

National Security Gabbard resigns as national intelligence director citing husband's cancer diagnosis May 22, 20262:25 PM ET Franco Ordoñez Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard listens as President Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Dec. 2, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images Tulsi Gabbard announced Friday that she is resigning as President Trump's director of national intelligence in order to support her husband who is battling a rare form of bone cancer. In a letter to Trump, Gabbard thanked the president for the opportunity to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, but that she needed to be there for her husband after he had stood by her for so long. "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." Sponsor Message Gabbard is the latest in a series of Cabinet officials to leave the Trump administration. Other departures include Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi. National Security Joe Kent, a top counterterrorism official, resigns citing Iran war Trump commended Gabbard for doing "an incredible job, and we will miss her." "Her wonderful husband, Abraham, has been recently diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, and she, rightfully, wants to be with him, bringing him back to good health as they currently fight a tough battle together," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump also announced that Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Aaron Lukas will serve as acting director of national intelligence. Gabbard, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in February, was an outspoken critic of U.S. engagement abroad. The former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii had shifted her political allegiance, going from a candidate for the De...