Posted on 06/20/2025 2:17:21 PM PDT by Miami Rebel
President Donald Trump directly rebuked Tulsi Gabbard, his own director of national intelligence, during a Q&A with reporters on Friday afternoon amid reports that she’s an increasingly irrelevant figure within his administration.
After being asked by MSNBC’s Vaughn Hillyard about why he was considering a strike on Iran given his expressed opposition to the Bush administration’s war in Iraq, Trump stated that Iran had gathered “a tremendous amount of [nuclear] material.”
“What intelligence do you have that Iran is building a nuclear weapon? Your intelligence community has said they have no evidence that they are at this point,” followed up Hillyard.
“Well, then my intelligence community is wrong. Who in the intelligence community said that?” shot back Trump.
“Your director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard,” observed the reporter.
“She’s wrong,” replied Trump matter-of-factly.
The commander-in-chief’s dismissal of Gabbard comes just a few days after Politico reported that Gabbard was on the outs.
From its story on Trump’s disillusionment with his intel chief:
At 5:30 a.m. on June 10, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard tweeted a cryptic, three-minute video warning that “political elite and warmongers” are “carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers” — and that the world is “on the brink of nuclear annihilation.”
Trump saw the unauthorized video and became incensed, complaining to associates at the White House that she had spoken out of turn, according to three people familiar with the episode — two of them inside the administration and all granted anonymity to describe sensitive dynamics.
“I don’t think he dislikes Tulsi as a person … But certainly the video made him not super hot on her … and he doesn’t like it when people are off message,” one senior administration official told the outlet.
Vice President JD Vance, the leading isolationist voice inside the administration, sent an unprompted statement to Politico at the time that read: “Tulsi Gabbard is a veteran, a patriot, a loyal supporter of President Trump, and a critical part of the coalition he built in 2024.”
The reporter lied about what tulsi said.
I trust Rand more than most of the GOP when it comes to spending and deep state bullshit.
ahem. Tulsi speaks and rolls the tape.
https://x.com/DNIGabbard/status/1936174674595008517
That’s funny. You can’t embrace both sides of an issue and have any respect or gravitas.
Tulsi, Tucker & Rand Paul are splitting the message, working to fragment the base. They are each following their own priorities and bias rather than working towards Trump’s agenda.
Tulsi is sworn to work with the POTUS or she should resign. Rand Paul is entitled to speak his mind but he is duplicitous and an obstruction to America 1st.
Tucker is a self interested, self absorbed, self centered media person who is not very bright. People need to look at his history not just a few occasions where he has spoken like a patriot. Realize he is not a patriot or a conservative; he just plays on from time to time. Right now he has exposed himself as a bigoted, fooolish clown.
Trump no more needs to give any of these three cover than he needs another shot to the ear.
“Since when...”
Since when....does an intelligence chief or general or admiral take it upon himself to share his findings ....which contradict the conclusions of the C-in-C....with the general public?
Again, it’s always the messenger.
I don’t think the reporter did lie, but if it WERE a lie, don’t you think that the President would’ve call the reporter out?
See post 14
The Left/media views Gabbard as a traitor who needs to be killed off, if not literally, then effectively.
Trump has to maintain the position that Iran may have nukes; that's his job, to be extra suspicious. He may have to maintain that even when his own people say, "Not strictly true, Boss".
So either a) this will blow over, or b) the Left/media will get their way and Gabbard will resign.
“Presidents have gotten pissed at cabinet and staff for hundreds of years.”
This isn’t a mere matter of the President being irritated at an underling. This is the President saying that the DNI who is providing intel that could determine whether or not we pursue an act of war is wrong.
It’s not like the disagreement is over tax credits or infrastructure spending.
I saw it. It doesn’t make sense.
I didn’t see Trump agree. He has been constantly saying Iran can not get a nuke for over 14 years.
She has a boss. You don’t speak on your own.
I worked in luxury hotels in upper management. I’d have been fired if I spoke on behalf of the property without authority.
Trump clearly says, “She’s wrong”.
It’s deflection, deflection, deflection, whether you use all caps, italics, or boldface.
The Presidency isn’t a public debating society. If a subordinate has a disagreement with the President, she should not make it public.
The left hasn’t contradicted Gabbard, the President has. If anything, the pacificist left would like Gabbard to be in the right.
The May IAEA report that Gabbard should have read made it quite clear that there was sufficient nuclear weapon grade material that a weapon could be ready in days.
Why? She did not pull her information out of her ear. There are often conflicting sources regarding foreign intelligence. If Trump relies on one and not the other, that is his choice. However, Tulsi is supposed to present him with what her sources show in order for him to weigh them against what other intelligence he has been provided.
The big picture is whether it is in the U.S. best interest to be pulled into another Mid East quagmire. Pulling back from foreign conflicts was a big part of Trump’s appeal to many voters. I hope he remembers that.
And what has he been able to accomplish except complain about it? Nothing. But he chooses to be a pain in the a$$ to President Trump every chance he gets.
Gabbard committed a political gaffe (speaking the truth) on video. I don’t get that any of her testimony, which was the product of professionals in the IC, was incorrect. But the video appears to have really stuck in Trump’s craw.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he reorged her out of his admin in a month or two.
I voted for him, but at times he comes across as a petulant toddler. He needs advisors willing to say “no” or at least “You shouldn’t.”. No good comes of any leader surrounding themselves with “yes” men.
Hear, Hear! We didn’t vote for Trump to be a slave to his critics, whoever they may be.
The Trump vs Musk feud was red meat for the media, and I suspect this is too. They’re probably hammering out a deal as we speak.
Regime change in Iran kills the Chinese economy.
It ends they’re buying of energy for 15 to 30% under non-sanctioned energy
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