Tulsi Gabbard, who previously opposed US help for Ukraine, thanked the president-elect for the chance and expressed her eagerness to start to work.”
Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic legislator turned strong supporter, has been chosen Director of National Intelligence by US President-elect Donald Trump for a second term. As part of her role, she will be in charge of 18 US intelligence agencies.
Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party in 2022, backed Trump this year. Gabbard, a veteran and former Democratic presidential candidate, offers the “fearless attitude that has marked her remarkable career to our intelligence community,” Trump stated.
Gabbard, who has previously opposed US backing for Ukraine, thanked the president-elect for the chance, saying she was excited to get to work.
Gabbard is likely to succeed Avril Haines as Director of National Intelligence. Here are five facts about her:
1. Early Life.
Tulsi Gabbard was born April 12, 1981, in Leloaloa, American Samoa. When she was two years old, her family moved to Hawaii. As a teenager, she co-founded the Healthy Hawaii Coalition, an environmental non-profit organization. She earned her B.S.B.A. in Business Administration from Hawaii Pacific University in 2009. Mike Gabbard, her father, defected from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party and now serves as a Hawaii State Senator. She married Abraham Williams, a cinematographer.
2. Military Service.
Gabbard has spent more than two decades in the Army National Guard. Her deployment took her to Iraq and Kuwait. She received a Combat Medical Badge in 2005 for “participation in combat operations under enemy hostile fire in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III,” according to the Hawaii National Guard. Gabbard has two years of experience on the House Homeland Security Committee, but she has not served any significant government positions like previous directors.
3. First Hindu elected to Congress.
Gabbard was elected to Hawaii’s House of Representatives at the age of 21, but she was forced to resign after only one term due to her National Guard unit’s deployment in Iraq. She later became a member of Congress, representing Hawaii.
She became the House’s first Hindu member, swearing in with her hand on the Bhagavad Gita. She was also the first American Samoan to serve in Congress.
4. Presidentialaspirations and party departure
Gabbard rose to prominence in 2020, when she ran for the Democratic presidential candidacy. She opposed the country’s participation in overseas armed engagements. She then dropped out of the contest and backed Joe Biden, who ultimately won the election. After almost two years, she quit the Democratic Party.
5. Trump Campaign
Earlier this year, Gabbard expressed support for Donald Trump, which gained favor among his fans. She officially launched her Republican candidacy during a rally in North Carolina in October, calling the current Democratic Party “completely unrecognizable.”.
