Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard submitted her resignation on Friday, citing her husband’s recent cancer diagnosis as the reason for stepping down from her post, as reported by the New York Post.
Gabbard’s resignation is effective June 30, 2026, according to a resignation letter first reported by Fox News Digital. The former Hawaii Democratic congresswoman, who later became a prominent Trump ally, did not cite the ongoing Iran war in the letter.
“Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026,” Gabbard wrote. “My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer.”
Gabbard also thanked President Trump in the letter for “the trust you placed in me.”
.@DNIGabbard is resigning from the Trump administration at the end of next month to help her husband Abraham Williams as he is treated for “an extremely rare form of bone cancer”
“I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone” pic.twitter.com/B53R5asBO0— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 22, 2026
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The resignation marks a major change inside the administration’s national security team. Gabbard had served as director of national intelligence during a period that included Operation Epic Fury and ongoing tensions involving Iran.
The news broke within minutes of President Trump saying he planned to remain at the White House over the weekend rather than travel to his New Jersey golf course.
The timing fueled speculation about whether the administration could resume attacks on the Islamic Republic.
Gabbard, a longtime skeptic of U.S. intervention overseas, had remained publicly loyal to President Trump during Operation Epic Fury.
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In March, she testified to the Senate that “the intelligence community assessed that Iran maintained the intention to rebuild and to continue to grow their nuclear enrichment capability.”
Despite that role, Gabbard had rarely been one of the administration’s most public-facing officials. President Trump often singled out CIA Director John Ratcliffe for praise over his contributions.
Gabbard had aligned with President Trump on other priorities as well, including investigations into alleged vote fraud in the 2020 election.
Her departure follows the resignation in March of Joe Kent, the former head of the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent, who previously worked under Gabbard, claimed Israel had misled President Trump into attacking Iran.
Gabbard’s decision to resign places attention on who President Trump will select to lead the intelligence community after her June 30 departure.
The office oversees coordination across U.S. intelligence agencies and plays a central role in advising the president and senior national security officials.
The resignation letter focused on Gabbard’s family circumstances, specifically her husband Abraham’s diagnosis. No replacement was immediately identified in the source material.
Gabbard previously represented Hawaii in Congress as a Democrat before becoming a more prominent figure among conservatives and Trump supporters.
Her tenure as director of national intelligence came as the administration dealt with foreign policy disputes, intelligence assessments regarding Iran, and domestic inquiries tied to the 2020 election.
Tulsi Gabbard just resigned as DNI.
Her husband has a rare, devastating form of bone cancer and she is going home to fight for him.Family first. Always.In a year and a half she:- Pushed unprecedented transparency at ODNI
– Took the deep state head on
– Clashed with the CIA… pic.twitter.com/qcBwk6iIAj— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 22, 2026
Her exit adds another personnel change to President Trump’s national security operation while the administration continues dealing with Iran-related developments and other intelligence matters.
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