Tulsi Gabbard is resigning as director of national intelligence, telling President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office on Friday that she will leave the post because her husband has been diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Her last day at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is expected to be June 30.
In a formal resignation letter, Gabbard said her departure is effective June 30, 2026, and thanked Trump for the trust he placed in her. She said Abraham, her husband of 11 years, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer and faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months. “At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle,” she wrote.
Gabbard said she has made significant progress at ODNI during her one and a half years in the job, and she said she remains fully committed to ensuring a smooth and thorough transition over the coming weeks. She added that she will remain forever grateful to Trump and to the American people for the honor of serving as DNI.
The move comes after a tenure that included Gabbard’s push to advance transparency and restore integrity inside the intelligence community, while also leaving important work unfinished at the agency. That work will now fall to others as the administration prepares for a leadership change at a sensitive time for the U.S. intelligence apparatus.
Gabbard’s letter also offered a rare personal window into the strain behind the resignation. She said Abraham has been her rock through their marriage, including during her deployment to East Africa on a Joint Special Operations mission, multiple political campaigns and her time leading the intelligence office. The timing leaves little doubt: this is a personal exit driven by a family crisis, not a political one.
