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Who Is Tulsi Gabbard? Soldier, Democrat-Turned-Trump Ally And America’s First Hindu Intelligence Chief.
Tulsi Gabbard (File pic/Reuters)
Tulsi Gabbard’s political journey has been anything but conventional. Over two decades, she has gone from being one of the youngest lawmakers in Hawaii to serving in Congress as a Democrat, launching a presidential bid, leaving her party, backing Donald Trump and ultimately becoming America’s top intelligence official.
Now, another major turning point has arrived.
On May 22, 2026, Gabbard announced her resignation as Director of National Intelligence (DNI), effective June 30, saying she was stepping down after her husband, filmmaker Abraham Williams, was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.
Gabbard said she could not continue in one of the country’s most demanding national security positions while her husband faced a serious health battle.
Her departure ends a historic tenure that made her the first Hindu American to lead the US intelligence community and one of the most unconventional figures to serve in a modern presidential cabinet.
From Hawaii Legislature At 21 To Congress
Born in American Samoa and raised in Hawaii, Gabbard entered politics unusually early. At just 21 years old, she won election to the Hawaii State Legislature in 2002, becoming one of the youngest lawmakers in the state’s history.
Her rise continued rapidly.
In 2012, Gabbard was elected to the US House of Representatives, representing Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District. She became the first Hindu woman ever elected to the US Congress and one of the first female combat veterans to serve on Capitol Hill.
During her years in Washington, she gained national prominence as an outspoken critic of US military interventions abroad and advocated a foreign policy centred on restraint.
The Democrat Who Broke With Democrats
Gabbard’s relationship with the Democratic establishment became increasingly strained.
As vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), she resigned in 2016 after endorsing Bernie Sanders instead of Hillary Clinton in the presidential race — a move that dramatically raised her national profile.
Her independent streak continued.
In 2020, Gabbard launched her own presidential campaign, presenting herself as an anti-war candidate critical of regime-change interventions overseas. Though her campaign ended early, it helped cement her image as a political outsider.
After suspending her campaign, she endorsed Joe Biden against Donald Trump.
But her ideological evolution was far from over.
Leaving The Democratic Party, Joining Trump
By 2022, Gabbard announced she was leaving the Democratic Party altogether, accusing it of intolerance and disagreeing with positions on foreign policy, border security and social issues.
Her political shift accelerated over the following years.
In 2024, she formally joined the Republican Party and endorsed Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, becoming one of the most prominent former Democrats to align with him.
Months later, Trump nominated her to serve as Director of National Intelligence — the official overseeing America’s 18 intelligence agencies.
Her confirmation in February 2025 passed narrowly in the Senate by a 52-48 vote.
The appointment made Gabbard the first Hindu American DNI, the highest-ranking Pacific Islander American official in US history and one of the few former Democratic presidential candidates to later join a Republican administration.
Soldier Before Politician
Long before becoming a national political figure, Gabbard built her identity around military service.
Following the September 11 attacks, she joined the Hawaii Army National Guard in 2003.
She deployed to Iraq in 2004, serving with a medical unit and earning a Combat Medical Badge. Later, she deployed to Kuwait as an Army Military Police officer.
Her experiences in conflict zones heavily shaped her worldview and contributed to her opposition to prolonged US military interventions overseas.
Today, she serves in the US Army Reserve with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
A Polarising Figure
Supporters view Gabbard as independent-minded, anti-war and willing to challenge political orthodoxy.
Critics argue her positions on foreign policy and later alignment with Trump represented sharp departures from her earlier Democratic identity.
Few American politicians, however, have undergone as dramatic a political transformation.
From young Hawaii legislator to combat veteran, Democratic rising star, presidential hopeful, Trump ally and intelligence chief, Gabbard’s career has repeatedly defied expectations.
Her resignation as DNI closes one chapter — but given her history, it may not be the last major turn in her political life.
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Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
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