Who Is Tulsi Gabbard, US Intelligence Chief Who Will Oversee 18 Spy Agencies

US President-elect Donald Trump has named former Democratic representative-turned-staunch supporter Tulsi Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence for his second term. As part of her job, she will oversee 18 spy agencies in the United States. 

After leaving the Democratic Party in 2022, Gabbard endorsed Trump earlier this year. A veteran and one-time Democratic White House contender, Gabbard brings the “fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community,” Trump said. 

Gabbard, who earlier opposed US support for Ukraine, thanked the President-elect for the opportunity, adding she was looking forward to getting to work.”

With Gabbard all set to succeed Avril Haines as the Director of National Intelligence, here are five facts about her:

1. Early Life

Tulsi Gabbard was born on April 12, 1981, in Leloaloa, American Samoa. When she was two years old, her family settled in Hawaii. As a teenager, she co-founded the Healthy Hawai’i Coalition, an environmental non-profit. She completed a B.S.B.A. in Business Administration from the Hawaii Pacific University in 2009. Her father, Mike Gabbard, switched from the Republican Party to Democrats and is a Hawaii State Senator. She is married to Abraham Williams, a cinematographer.

2. Military Service

Gabbard has served for over two decades in the Army National Guard. She was deployed to Iraq and Kuwait. In 2005, she was honoured with a Combat Medical Badge for “participation in combat operations under enemy hostile fire in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III,” per the Hawaii National Guard. Although Gabbard has not held any senior government roles unlike past directors, she has two years of experience on the House Homeland Security Committee.

3. First Hindu elected to Congress

Gabbard was elected to Hawaii’s House of Representatives at 21 but had to leave after a single term following her National Guard unit’s deployment to Iraq. Later, she was elected to Congress where she represented Hawaii. She became the first Hindu member of the House and was sworn into office with her hand on the Bhagavad Gita. She was also the first American Samoan elected to Congress.

4. Presidential aspirations and party exit

In 2020, Gabbard came into the spotlight, seeking the Democratic nomination for the President. She opposed the country’s involvement in foreign military conflicts. She later opted out of the race and endorsed Joe Biden, who eventually won the election. After nearly two years, she left the Democratic Party.

5. Trump campaign

Earlier this year, Gabbard extended support to Donald Trump, receiving popularity among his supporters. At a rally in North Carolina in October, she officially announced becoming a Republican and termed the current Democratic Party “completely unrecognisable”.