US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed former Democratic representative and ardent supporter Tulsi Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence for his upcoming second term. In this capacity, she will be responsible for overseeing 18 intelligence agencies within the United States.
After her departure from the Democratic Party in 2022, Gabbard publicly endorsed Trump earlier this year. A veteran and former Democratic presidential candidate, Gabbard is expected to bring the “fearless spirit that has characterized her distinguished career to our intelligence community,” according to Trump. Gabbard, who previously expressed opposition to U.S. support for Ukraine, expressed gratitude to the President-elect for the opportunity and stated her eagerness to begin her new role.
As Gabbard prepares to take over from Avril Haines as the Director of National Intelligence, here are five key facts about her:
1. Early Life
Tulsi Gabbard was born on April 12, 1981, in Leloaloa, American Samoa. At the age of two, her family relocated to Hawaii. During her teenage years, she co-founded the Healthy Hawai’i Coalition, an environmental non-profit organization. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Hawaii Pacific University in 2009. Her father, Mike Gabbard, transitioned from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party and currently serves as a Hawaii State Senator. She is married to Abraham Williams, a cinematographer.
2. Military Service
Gabbard has dedicated over twenty years to the Army National Guard, with deployments to Iraq and Kuwait. In 2005, she received a Combat Medical Badge for her “participation in combat operations under enemy hostile fire in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III,” as noted by the Hawaii National Guard. Although Gabbard has not held senior government positions like previous directors, she possesses two years of experience on the House Homeland Security Committee.
3. First Hindu elected to Congress
Gabbard was elected to Hawaii’s House of Representatives at the age of 21 but had to resign after one term due to her National Guard unit’s deployment to Iraq. Subsequently, she was elected to Congress, where she represented Hawaii and became the first Hindu member of Congress.
4. Presidential Ambitions and Departure from the Party
In 2020, Gabbard gained significant attention as she pursued the Democratic nomination for the presidency. She was a vocal critic of the nation’s engagement in foreign military interventions. Subsequently, she withdrew from the race and endorsed Joe Biden, who ultimately secured the presidency. After nearly two years, she made the decision to leave the Democratic Party.
5. Support for Trump
Earlier this year, Gabbard expressed her support for Donald Trump, which garnered her considerable popularity among his base. During a rally in North Carolina in October, she formally announced her transition to the Republican Party, describing the current Democratic Party as “entirely unrecognizable.”
