Trump reprimands his director of intelligence create doubts during the crisis between Iran and Israel
The US intelligence chief has said in her defense that her testimony to Congress in March was taken out of context by “dishonest media”
The strength and standing of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard within the Trump administration is being questioned after the president twice publicly dismissed her testimony that Iran is not close to developing a nuclear weapon, and amid reports of tensions between the two.
President Trump appointed Gabbard as his intelligence director despite bipartisan misgivings, and her anti-war stance fits with the MAGA movement’s aversion to involving the United States in foreign conflicts.
But Trump and Gabbard are not longtime allies, and she increasingly appears to be watching from the sidelines as Trump crafts policy and makes decisions to involve the United States in the war between Israel and Iran.
“She was rewarded for supporting Trump during the 2024 election and being a strong advocate for him, especially when it came to military intervention,” one Trump ally said of Gabbard, explaining why Trump nominated her for the intelligence post.
A video Gabbard posted on social media last week following a visit to Hiroshima, the Japanese city where the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb near the end of World War II, has drawn significant interest in Trump world.
In the more than three-minute video, posted on her On her personal account on social media platform X, Gabbard details the devastating consequences of nuclear war and accuses the political elite and warmongers of carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers.
Gabbard was seen by some as having preempted White House messaging on Iran and Israel regarding the video.
Trump chastised Gabbard over the video, two people briefed on the conversation told The New York Times. He said her discussion of nuclear annihilation would scare people and that officials shouldn't talk about it.
Last week, Trump raised eyebrows with his comments about Gabbard when asked about her March testimony indicating that Iran was not as close to developing nuclear capabilities as Israel claimed.
“I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having one,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One early Tuesday.
On Friday, Trump more explicitly stated that Gabbard was “mistaken” in her assessment of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The White House has rejected any suggestion that Trump has lost confidence in any member of his national security team.