President Donald Trump is reportedly standing by his decision to keep Tulsi Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence, according to insider information shared with the Daily Mail.
Amid the ongoing conflict in Iran, which began last month, Gabbard has faced scrutiny from her detractors who have questioned her commitment to the mission. There have been calls for Trump to dismiss her and appoint someone new.
In response to these calls, an ally of the recently dismissed Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested that Bondi could step into Gabbard’s role, as reported by CBS. Bondi was let go by Trump on Thursday.
Despite these suggestions, the president has expressed his desire for Gabbard to continue in her current position, as noted in the report.
The White House has refuted claims from a Guardian report alleging that Trump had lost confidence in Gabbard after her former deputy, Joe Kent, resigned in protest over the president’s decision to engage in conflict with Iran.
This development coincides with Trump’s recent decision to remove Bondi from her position as Attorney General, following closely on the heels of Kristi Noem’s departure from the Department of Homeland Security less than a month ago.
But the White House pushed back strongly against the idea that the president was ready to oust a third woman from his cabinet.
‘President Trump has total confidence in Director Gabbard, and any insinuation otherwise is totally fake news,’ White House spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement to the Daily Mail.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stands after President Donald Trump spoke about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Trump has quizzed some members of his Cabinet about replacing Gabbard, sources told the Guardian
Others in the administration suggested that the reports about Gabbard’s demsire were a result of bitter infighting within the Washington intelligence community.
‘The DC establishment, including the CIA, is always after her because of her efforts to reveal their lies to the American people,’ one administration official told the Daily Mail.
‘She’s doing exactly what POTUS tasked her to do. You’ll notice there are never hit pieces on the CIA.’
‘The President has assembled the most talented and impactful Cabinet ever, and they have collectively delivered historic victories on behalf of the American people.’
Gabbard was spotted at the White House as recently as Wednesday evening, where she attended the President’s late-night national address regarding Iran.
When pressed on his confidence in the DNI earlier this week, the President responded, ‘Yeah, sure.’
‘She’s a little different in her thought process than me, but that doesn’t make somebody not available to serve,’ he added.
Gabbard, a former Democratic Congresswoman who has long rallied against US foreign interventionism, reportedly peeved Trump last year after releasing an ominous video about the dangers of nuclear war.
Administration officials pushed back on the reported claim, noting how Gabbard has received a lot of praise from the President recently and has been a near-constant presence at the White House amid the Iran war
Vice President JD Vance is joined by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and others as they observe the beginning stages of Operation Epic Fury
Despite Trump and Gabbard’s ideological gap, White House officials have praised her work during the Iran war, saying she has ‘consistent and overwhelming support’ from the President.
Officials have told the Daily Mail that the DNI has been a near-constant presence at the White House since the conflict began.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back against reporting that Gabbard was on the outs, calling her a ‘respected member of the President’s national security team’ who was doing a ‘fantastic job.’
Vice President JD Vance is also a supporter of Gabbard’s efforts on the president’s behalf.
Sources familiar with Tulsi Gabbard’s position in the administration say that any attempt to smear the director with Kent’s defection was off base, as she pointedly distanced herself from his protest resignation.
Despite efforts to draft her into a larger protest of the Iran war, Gabbard sided with the president, pointedly testifying that it was up to Trump to decide what was an imminent threat.
