Trump polled advisers about replacing Tulsi Gabbard as intelligence chief

President Donald Trump has privately asked cabinet officials in recent weeks whether he should fire Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

Trump expressed frustration that Gabbard shielded her former deputy Joe Kent. Kent resigned days earlier after publicly arguing that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States, directly undercutting Trump’s stated rationale for launching the war.

The president was particularly angered that Gabbard appeared reluctant to defend the administration’s position during her testimony at the worldwide threats hearing on Capitol Hill last month.

Trump gave Gabbard a mixed public endorsement on Sunday aboard Air Force One. “Yeah, sure,” he told reporters. “I mean, she’s a little bit different in her thought process than me, but that doesn’t make somebody not available to serve.”

No decision to remove her has been made. Advisers have warned that creating a high-profile vacancy without a ready successor could cause unnecessary political distractions. There is currently no standout candidate for the position.

This episode marks the latest in a series of perceived transgressions by Gabbard. Earlier she recorded a video warning about the horrors of nuclear war after visiting Hiroshima, which Trump felt would scare the public.

She also testified that Iran had not decided to build a nuclear bomb, prompting Trump to publicly contradict her before ordering strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.

Gabbard later revoked security clearances for 37 people, including congressional aides, before the White House had reviewed the action.

The White House defended her tenure. Spokesperson Steven Cheung stated that Trump has confidence in Gabbard and the work she is doing.