Nikki McCann Ramirez
View all posts by Nikki McCann Ramirez May 22, 2026
Tulsi Gabbard talks to reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on July 23, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Tulsi Gabbard is stepping down from her position as Director of National Intelligence, citing her husband’s recent bone cancer diagnosis. In a resignation letter obtained by Fox News — the network that helped shape the former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii into a conservative darling — Gabbard wrote that 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.”
“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,” and “I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle.”
Abraham’s “strength and love have sustained me through every challenge. I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming position,” she added.
In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump wrote that “unfortunately, after having done a great job, Tulsi Gabbard will be leaving the Administration,” and that she should “rightfully” spend time caring for her husband. “I have no doubt he will soon be better than ever. Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her.”
Trump announced that Aaron Lukas, the current Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, will step in as acting Director of National Intelligence.
Gabbard’s tenure as the head of America’s intelligence apparatus was already on shaky ground. A self-described anti-war hawk, Gabbard had receded into the background of the Cabinet as Trump’s foreign policy escalated into interventionism in the Americas, and outright war against Iran.
