Tulsi Gabbard: ex-Democrat chosen as Trump’s director of national intelligence

The politician and former U.S. Army veteran, who previously unsuccessfully tried to become president in 2020, will likely take the top spot starting in January if the Senate confirms his nomination.

After saying she would be “honored” to accept a role in his administration, Mr. Trump praised Ms. Gabbard for her political journey.

“As a former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, she enjoys broad support in both parties – she is now a proud Republican!” » Trump spoke about this nomination.

“I know Tulsi will bring to our intelligence community the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career, defending our constitutional rights and securing peace through force.

Ms. Gabbard has had quite a colorful political career, becoming the youngest woman ever elected to the Hawaii State House at just 21 years old.

She was previously touted as a promising figure in the Democratic ranks before leaving the party in 2022 and later supporting Mr Trump.

However, Ms. Gabbard’s journey has not always been so laudable. She had previously been criticized for her controversial foreign policy decisions, becoming known as the member of Congress most willing to defend Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Reports also discussed his past ties to anti-LGBTQ groups, which sparked widespread concern.

Here’s everything you need to know about the future director of intelligence.

Born April 12, 1981 and raised in Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard has a career in politics and the military.

She enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard and was first elected at age 21 to the Hawaii House of Representatives, but had to leave after one term when her unit disbanded. deployed to Iraq.

She was later elected to Congress to represent Hawaii.

In 2012, she beat David Crowley in 2^sd Hawaii’s congressional district for the House of Representatives, and was criticized in 2015 for voting in line with Republicans to impose “extreme control” measures on Iraqi and Syrian refugees.

In 2019, she announced her candidacy for president, but then dropped out without gaining much support and instead supported Joe Biden.

While serving as a Democratic congresswoman, Gabbard frequently criticized her party’s leadership and left it in 2022, calling them an “elitist cabal of warmongers.”

Tulsi Gabbard speaking during the second round of the second Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season hosted by CNN at the Fox Theater in Detroit, Michigan

Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

She began identifying as an independent, but displayed views aligned with the Republican Party. She supported a number of election deniers during the 2022 midterm elections and later criticized Kamala Harris when she became the party’s nominee.

“Biden is out, Kamala is in. Make no mistake: the policies won’t change. Just like Biden wasn’t the one calling the shots, neither will Kamala Harris. She’s the new figurehead of the deep state and the handmaiden of Hillary Clinton, queen of the warmongering cabal, they will continue their efforts to plunge the world into war and deprive us of our freedom,” she said.

Earlier this year, she endorsed Mr. Trump and quickly became a rising star in his inner circles — even going so far as to help Mr. Trump prepare for his debate against Ms. Harris.

Although she has plenty of military experience, AP says Ms. Gabbard does not have intelligence training like her former people in the position.

What is his position on key policies?

If her nomination is successful, Ms. Gabbard would serve as Trump’s intelligence director and essentially oversee all of U.S. national intelligence, as well as international responses and spy services.

His positions on various policies have changed significantly in recent years, but could shed light on his approach to intelligence oversight in the United States.

Ms. Gabbard is a staunch anti-interventionist and has advocated against U.S. involvement in various conflicts and regime changes abroad.

She expressed opposition to U.S. involvement in Ukraine, reportedly praised Russian leader Vladimir Putin and repeated false propaganda claims.

She also called her new boss Mr Trump a “Saudi Arabia bitch” in 2018, but appears to have changed her stance since.

In 2019, Hillary Clinton suggested that Russia was “grooming” Ms. Gabbard.

Although Ms. Gabbard called for gun reforms while serving as a Democrat, her approach to guns has since changed — and more closely resembles the position of the right.

She said in a podcast earlier this year: “My views on, you know, things like the assault weapons ban have changed through this learning and this understanding and this growth in actually appreciating the full intent of our founders for the Second Amendment. »

In the past, Ms. Gabbard had criticized then-President Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy and was a supporter of the Keep Families Together Act and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. ) of the Obama era, which protects young people who came to the country. The United States as children of deportation.

In April 2019, she said: “We need to stop using immigrants as chips in a political game and start talking about solutions – funding to process asylum applications and targeted aid to deal with decades of American intervention which contributed to the collapse of the countries in which they live. leak.”

Tulsi Gabbard speaks in front of former President Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, during a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden.

P.A.

More recently, she appears to have taken a tougher stance on immigration.

She wrote on social media: “The Democratic elite describes as racist and ‘anti-immigrant’ anyone who wants to end illegal immigration and secure our borders.

“Either they are very, very stupid and do not understand the difference between legal and illegal immigration, or they are trying to sow division and curry favor with illegal immigrants whose votes they are counting on to win (without ID). nor proof of identity). citizenship). They don’t care about our country, our security or the rule of law, and should not be in power.”

In 2015, Ms. Gabbard announced the OFF Fuel for a Better Future Act, which implemented measures to help the United States minimize its reliance on fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy sources.

In 2022, she appeared critical of existing climate change policies, suggesting that the environmental movement had failed to take into account “all the elements essential to our survival”.

Ms. Gabbard has been criticized for her involvement in the anti-LGBTQ+ group Alliance for Traditional Marriage, led by her father, Gerald Michael Gabbard, who has been a Democratic Hawaii state senator since 2006.

As a Hawaii state legislator in 2004, Ms. Gabbard voted against a bill legalizing same-sex civil unions.

She has since suggested her views have changed, previously saying she supports same-sex marriage, and she also opposes Mr Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the US military.