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‘Did a great job’: Trump responds to Tulsi Gabbard's resignation, names Aaron Lukas as acting DNI
Gabbard announced her resignation on X, citing her husband's cancer diagnosis as the reason for her decision.
United States President Donald Trump on Friday responded to US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard stepping down from her position, saying she had “done a great job.”
Gabbard announced her resignation on X, citing her husband's cancer diagnosis as the reason for her decision. Trump said that Gabbard “rightfully” wanted to be with her husband, Abraham, and said that his administration would “miss her.”
“Unfortunately, after having done a great job, Tulsi Gabbard will be leaving the Administration on June 30th. 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,” the US President said in a post on Truth Social. Trump further said he had “no doubt” that Gabbard's husband “will soon be better than ever.”
As Gabbard vacates her position, her principal deputy director of national intelligence Aaron Lukas will take over as acting director of national intelligence, Trump stated. While Gabbard has provided her reason for stepping aside, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency that she had reportedly been “forced” to resign from her post.
Gabbard thanks Trump, says resigned to ‘fully support’ husband
In her resignation letter addressed to Trump and posted on X, Gabbard said she was "deeply grateful for the trust" the US President placed in her and thanked him for the opportunity.
She said her resignation would take effect on June 30, 2026, and cited her husband's bone cancer diagnosis as the reason. “My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer,” she said, adding that he “faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months.”
She said she was stepping away from “public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle.” “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,” Gabbard said.
In the letter, she spoke about her husband's support throughout her career. “His 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 said.
Gabbard said there had been “significant progress” during her tenure as the director of national intelligence, while adding that they had brought about “transparency” to the department and helped in “restoring integrity to the intelligence community”. However, she said there still remained “work to be done.”
She assured her commitment to the “smooth and thorough transition” over the coming weeks.
