Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence and the nation's top intelligence official, is resigning from her post, effective June 30. Her chief of staff Alexa Henning confirmed Friday that Gabbard is stepping down to support her husband, Abraham Williams, who has been diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Fox News was first to report the resignation.

Gabbard informed President Trump of her decision before the public announcement, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A Tenure Marked by Controversy

Gabbard was confirmed as Director of National Intelligence in February 2025, becoming the eighth person to hold the role. She was a notable pick — a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who broke with her party, endorsed Trump in 2024, and subsequently joined the Republican Party.

Her 16 months in the role were turbulent. According to NBC News, Gabbard never fully secured a seat in Trump's inner circle. During pivotal moments — including when Trump deliberated over military action and watched live feeds of operations in Iran and Venezuela — she was often not in the room. She clashed repeatedly with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and other senior administration officials.

In March, the Congressional Black Caucus had called for her resignation, accusing her of abusing her position to promote a partisan narrative after she released documents related to Russia's 2016 election interference. That same month, Trump publicly expressed full confidence in her. By April, reports emerged that Trump had quietly begun polling Cabinet members about whether she should be replaced — a development that preceded her resignation by roughly six weeks.

Not the First Departure

Gabbard is the latest in a string of high-profile exits from the Trump administration. Kristi Noem was fired as Homeland Security Secretary in early March. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi departed in early April. Her exit adds another vacancy to a Cabinet that has seen significant turnover in the first year and a half of Trump's second term.

No successor has been named. The administration has not indicated a timeline for filling the role.

Who Abraham Williams Is

Williams is a musician and music producer who married Gabbard in 2015. The couple have been together for over a decade and Williams has frequently appeared alongside Gabbard at public events throughout her political career. No further details about his diagnosis or prognosis have been made public.

This is a developing story.

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