Trump Names Gabbard’s Replacement After She Resigns As DNI
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is stepping down from the Trump administration at the end of June, with President Donald Trump announcing Friday that her replacement will be named shortly afterward.
Trump said Gabbard is leaving to focus on her family after her husband was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.
“Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
The president announced that Aaron Lukas, the principal deputy director of national intelligence, will serve as acting director once Gabbard officially departs.
Gabbard confirmed her resignation in a letter posted to X, saying her final day will be June 30.
In the letter, she thanked Trump for the opportunity to serve in his administration and said her decision was driven by her husband’s medical battle.
“Dear Mr. President, I am deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me and for the opportunity to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for the last year and a half,” she said in her post.
“Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026. My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer. He 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,” Gabbard said.
After speaking glowingly about her husband, she signed off with thanks to President Trump.
“Thank you for your understanding during this deeply personal and difficult time for our family. I will remain forever grateful to you and to the American people for the profound honor of serving our nation as DNI,” she said.
The departure marks a major change inside the administration’s intelligence leadership.
According to Fox News Digital, Gabbard informed Trump of her decision during a Friday Oval Office meeting.
However, the circumstances surrounding her exit appear to be more complicated.
A source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that Gabbard was forced out by the White House, though Trump’s public comments framed the departure as entirely family-related.
Trump publicly praised Gabbard again Friday while emphasizing the seriousness of her husband’s condition.
The president’s announcement comes after occasional signs of tension between the two over foreign policy.
Earlier this year, Trump publicly suggested Gabbard was less aggressive than he was when it came to confronting Iran over its nuclear ambitions.
In March, Trump said Gabbard was “softer” than him on stopping Tehran’s nuclear program.
Despite those differences, Trump’s public messaging Friday was warm and supportive.
Aaron Lukas now steps into one of the most sensitive national security roles in Washington, at least on an interim basis.
As principal deputy director, Lukas has already been working inside the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, making him a natural temporary successor while the administration determines its long-term plans.
Gabbard’s exit removes one of the administration’s most high-profile and unconventional national security figures.
A former Democratic congresswoman turned Trump administration intelligence chief, Gabbard’s appointment drew intense scrutiny from critics but strong support from many Trump allies.
Her tenure included oversight of intelligence coordination during a period of escalating international tensions involving Iran, China, Russia, and the Middle East, The New York Times reported.
Now, her focus shifts entirely to family.
No additional details about her husband’s diagnosis or treatment were immediately released.
The White House has not indicated whether Trump intends to nominate a permanent replacement quickly or allow Lukas to serve in the acting role for an extended period.
For now, the administration is presenting the move as a deeply personal decision driven by a family medical emergency, even as outside reporting raises questions about whether internal dynamics also played a role.
Fox News DRAMA - Maria Bartiromo's Attorney Drops Bombshell After 'Firing'
When Fox announced that Maria Bartiromo was gone after more than twelve years, the statement was a masterpiece of saying nothing: thanks for the work, best of luck on the next chapter, no reason given. Corporate language that smooth usually exists to cover something rougher underneath. The reporting that followed suggests it did.
Here is the reconstructed sequence, and it should be read as the reporting of Status and Puck’s Dylan Byers rather than confirmed fact — Bartiromo’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has since pushed back on the “fired” characterization, and the full story isn’t settled. With that caveat squarely in place: Bartiromo reportedly wanted to pursue a story tying China to 2020 election-security questions. For Fox that subject is radioactive. The network paid a historic settlement to Dominion Voting Systems over its 2020 coverage and still faces active Smartmatic litigation on the same ground. A Fox Business executive reportedly sent written guidance steering staff away from the topic, and most fell in line.
Bartiromo didn’t. According to the reporting, when Trump or a White House aide asked why Fox wasn’t covering the story, she confirmed her bosses had blocked it — and then forwarded the internal message proving it. Fox reportedly learned of the leak, concluded it violated her employment agreement, and pulled her off the air August 9.
Reports subsequently said she was “fired.” But according to her lawyer, Bryan Freedman, that’s not the case at all:
For many years, Maria Bartiromo hosted three number one rated television shows on Fox channels. She has been, without question, one of the hardest working journalists throughout her award winning career.
The irresponsible reports that have been published stating that Maria Bartiromo was fired or is no longer an employee of Fox are absolutely and unequivocally false. Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise. Those reporting her firing or the incredulous facts supporting that fiction have exhibited a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth.
We’ll keep you updated on this.
When Fox announced that Maria Bartiromo was gone after more than twelve years, the statement was a masterpiece of saying nothing: thanks for the work, best of luck on the next chapter, no reason given. Corporate language that smooth usually exists to cover something rougher underneath. The reporting that followed suggests it did.
Here is the reconstructed sequence, and it should be read as the reporting of Status and Puck’s Dylan Byers rather than confirmed fact — Bartiromo’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has since pushed back on the “fired” characterization, and the full story isn’t settled. With that caveat squarely in place: Bartiromo reportedly wanted to pursue a story tying China to 2020 election-security questions. For Fox that subject is radioactive. The network paid a historic settlement to Dominion Voting Systems over its 2020 coverage and still faces active Smartmatic litigation on the same ground. A Fox Business executive reportedly sent written guidance steering staff away from the topic, and most fell in line.
Bartiromo didn’t. According to the reporting, when Trump or a White House aide asked why Fox wasn’t covering the story, she confirmed her bosses had blocked it — and then forwarded the internal message proving it. Fox reportedly learned of the leak, concluded it violated her employment agreement, and pulled her off the air August 9.
Reports subsequently said she was “fired.” But according to her lawyer, Bryan Freedman, that’s not the case at all:
For many years, Maria Bartiromo hosted three number one rated television shows on Fox channels. She has been, without question, one of the hardest working journalists throughout her award winning career.
The irresponsible reports that have been published stating that Maria Bartiromo was fired or is no longer an employee of Fox are absolutely and unequivocally false. Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise. Those reporting her firing or the incredulous facts supporting that fiction have exhibited a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth.
We’ll keep you updated on this.
