WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — President Donald Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard are clashing over U.S. policy on Iran. Gabbard, a former Democratic lawmaker and vocal opponent of past wars, is now facing friction inside the White House, according to reports from NBC and CNN.
The disagreement intensified after Gabbard testified to Congress in March. She said U.S. intelligence agencies had found no evidence that Iran was building a nuclear weapon. Trump publicly dismissed her view this week. “I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having one,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
This sharp response raised doubts about Gabbard’s influence in national security decisions. Several senior officials said she has not been included in recent internal meetings about the growing conflict between Israel and Iran.
The White House’s concern deepened after Gabbard released a video on June 10. The video warned of nuclear war and showed simulated images of U.S. cities destroyed. Officials close to Trump said he saw the video as a swipe at his approach to the Middle East crisis.
Gabbard missed a high-level meeting at Camp David just days before posting the video. Officials said she was serving on National Guard duty. However, her absence raised questions about her status in the administration.
Despite these incidents, Gabbard’s allies deny any major fallout. Vice President JD Vance called her “an essential member” of the national security team. A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Gabbard remains focused on her core mission — protecting Americans and advising the president with sound intelligence.
Trump isn’t planning to remove Gabbard, according to multiple officials. “He’s not interested in firing her at this moment because she’s not doing any harm,” one senior official said. Still, some within the administration believe she has gone off-message.
Since taking office in February, Gabbard has tried to reform the intelligence community. She moved the production of the President’s Daily Brief from the CIA to ODNI to speed up access. She also cut roughly $150 million in contracts, including $20 million from diversity initiatives.
Gabbard and her supporters say she is cleaning up the intelligence system. Her team describes the system as bloated and overly politicized.
Not everyone agrees with her methods. Some career intelligence officials say she spends more time building her media image than running the agency. Her Instagram features photos of her workouts and videos produced by her husband, a videographer.
Democratic lawmakers argue that she is politicizing intelligence work. They accused her of pushing Trump’s political goals rather than staying neutral. In April, Gabbard fired two top officials from the National Intelligence Council after they questioned one of Trump’s policy moves.
Lawmakers also questioned her decision to fire the legal counsel to the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community. That office is meant to operate without political interference.
Gabbard’s position in Trump’s circle is becoming more complex. She won favor with the MAGA base for her anti-war stance. But her criticism of military intervention in Iran has sparked concern among more hawkish Republicans.
She continues to attend Situation Room meetings and remains involved in key decisions. However, some insiders say her voice no longer carries the same weight.
