Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard
Gabbard in 2024
Director of National Intelligence Presumptive nominee
Assuming office TBD
President	Donald Trump
Succeeding	Avril Haines
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd district
In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Mazie Hirono
Succeeded by	Kai Kahele
Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee
In office January 22, 2013 – February 27, 2016
Chair	Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Preceded by	Mike Honda
Succeeded by	Grace Meng
Member of the Honolulu City Council from the 6th district
In office January 2, 2011 – August 16, 2012
Preceded by	Rod Tam
Succeeded by	Carol Fukunaga
Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from the 42nd district
In office November 5, 2002 – November 2, 2004
Preceded by	Mark Moses
Succeeded by	Rida Cabanilla
Personal details
Born	(1981-04-12) April 12, 1981 Leloaloa, American Samoa
Political party	Democratic (before 2022) Independent (2022–2024) Republican (2024–present)
Spouses	Eduardo Tamayo ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2006)​ Abraham Williams ​ (m. 2015)​
Relatives	Mike Gabbard (father) Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard (aunt)
Education	Leeward Community College (dropped out) Hawaii Pacific University (BS)
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army U.S. Army Reserve
Years of service	2003–present
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Unit	440th Civil Affairs Battalion
Battles/wars	Iraq War
Awards	Meritorious Service Medal Army Commendation Medal (2) Army Achievement Medal (2) Army Good Conduct Medal Combat Medical Badge

Tulsi Gabbard (/ˈtʌlsi ˈɡæbərd/; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician and military officer serving as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve since 2021. Gabbard served as U.S. representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021. She also served as the youngest state legislator in Hawaii from 2002 to 2004. She was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. She left the Democratic Party in 2022 to become an independent. In 2024, she joined the Republican Party. In November 2024, President-elect Trump selected Gabbard for the position of director of national intelligence in his second term, starting January 2025.

Gabbard joined the Hawaii Army National Guard in 2003 and was deployed to Iraq from 2004 to 2005, where she served as a specialist with the medical unit, and received the Combat Medical Badge. In 2007, Gabbard completed the officer training program at the Alabama Military Academy. She was stationed in Kuwait from 2008 to 2009 as an Army Military Police platoon leader. In 2015, while also serving in Congress, Gabbard became a major with the Hawaii Army National Guard. In 2020, still while serving in Congress she transferred to the U.S. Army Reserve. She was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2021.

During her time in Congress, Gabbard became known for her stand against Islamic terrorism in the Middle East and her opposition to U.S. military intervention in the Syrian civil war. Around 2015, she often criticized the Obama administration for not using more direct rhetoric in recognizing Islamic extremism as a problem. Gabbard met with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in 2017. In a 2019 interview with MSNBC, she said, "Assad is not the enemy of the United States because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States." In a subsequent interview on CNN, she said "There are brutal dictators in the world. Assad of Syria is one of them."

Gabbard served on the House Committee on Armed Services for all four terms in Congress and introduced several bills related to veteran issues, including the "Helping Heroes Fly Act". She also served as vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2013 to 2016 but then resigned from the position to endorse Bernie Sanders for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. She ran her 2020 presidential campaign, but dropped out and endorsed Joe Biden in March 2020. Gabbard was the first Samoan American member of Congress. After her departure from Congress in 2021, she took more conservative positions on issues such as abortion, foreign policy, LGBTQ rights, and border security.

In August 2024, Gabbard endorsed former president Donald Trump for the 2024 United States presidential election. In November 2024, Trump announced his intention to nominate Gabbard as the director of national intelligence. If confirmed, she will become the highest-ranking Pacific Islander American government official. Her nomination drew scrutiny of her past statements on Syria, alongside concern over her comments regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine that were considered sympathetic toward Russia. Many veterans have defended her record, noting that Gabbard has honorably served in the U.S. Armed Forces for over two decades.

Early life and education

Gabbard was born on April 12, 1981, in Leloaloa, Maʻopūtasi County, on American Samoa's main island of Tutuila. She was the fourth of five children born to Mike Gabbard and his wife Carol (née Porter). In 1983, when Gabbard was two years old, her family moved back to Hawaii, where they had lived in the late 1970s.

With both European and Samoan ancestry, Gabbard was raised in a multicultural household. Her mother was born in Indiana and grew up in Michigan. Her father, who is of Samoan and European ancestry, was born in American Samoa and grew up in Hawaii and Florida.

Gabbard's childhood in Hawaii included surfing, martial arts, and yoga. She was mostly home schooled, except for two years at a girls' school in the Philippines. Gabbard learned spiritual principles, such as karma, from the ancient Indian text Bhagavad Gita. As a teenager, she settled into the Hindu faith.

As a young adult, Gabbard worked for Stand Up For America (SUFA), founded by her father in the wake of the September 11 attacks. She was also associated with her father's The Alliance for Traditional Marriage and Values, an anti-gay marriage political action committee. She worked briefly as an educator for the Healthy Hawai'i Coalition, which promoted protection of Hawaii's natural environment. Subsequently, she worked as a self-employed martial arts instructor.

In 2002, when she was 21, Gabbard dropped out of Leeward Community College, where she was studying television production, to run successfully for election to the Hawaii state legislature, and became the youngest woman ever elected as a U.S. state representative. In 2009, Gabbard graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in international business.

Military service

Gabbard at the ceremony of her promotion to major on October 12, 2015

In April 2003, while serving in the Hawaii State Legislature, Gabbard enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard. In July 2004, she was deployed for a 12-month tour in Iraq, serving as a specialist with the Medical Company, 29th Support Battalion, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Hawaii Army National Guard. In Iraq, Gabbard served at Logistical Support Area Anaconda, completing her tour in 2005. Because of the deployment, she chose not to campaign for reelection to the state legislature.

In March 2007, she graduated from the Accelerated Officer Candidate School at the Alabama Military Academy and graduated at the top of her class, the first woman ever to do so. After successfully completing the officer training, Gabbard was commissioned as a second lieutenant, and assigned to the 29th Infantry Brigade Special Troops Battalion, this time to serve as an Army Military Police officer. She was stationed in Kuwait from 2008 to 2009 as an Army Military Police platoon leader. She was one of the first women to enter a Kuwaiti military facility, as well as the first woman to receive an award of appreciation from the Kuwait National Guard.

Gabbard received a Combat Medical Badge in 2005 for "participation in combat operations under enemy hostile fire in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III." She has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal from the United States. She also received the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency.

On October 12, 2015, she was promoted from the rank of captain to major at a ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. She continued to serve as a major in the Hawaii Army National Guard until her transfer to the 351st Civil Affairs Command, a California-based United States Army Reserve unit assigned to the United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command, in June 2020.

In 2020, after serving with them for 17 years, Gabbard left the Hawaii Army National Guard for a new assignment with a California-based Army Reserve unit. On July 4, 2021, Gabbard was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, while she was deployed to the Horn of Africa working as a civil affairs officer in support of a special operations mission. Subsequently, Gabbard was given the command of the 1st Battalion, 354th Regiment, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a lieutenant colonel, Gabbard has top-secret security clearance.

Political career

See also: Electoral history of Tulsi Gabbard

Hawaii House of Representatives (2002–2004)

In 2002, after redistricting, Gabbard won the four-candidate Democratic primary for the 42nd district of the Hawaii House of Representatives with a plurality of 43% of the vote. Gabbard then won the general election with 60.7% of the vote, defeating Republican Alfonso Jimenez. At the age of 21, Gabbard became the youngest legislator ever elected in Hawaii's history, and was at the time the youngest woman ever elected to a U.S. state legislature.

In 2004, Gabbard filed for reelection but then volunteered for Army National Guard service in Iraq. Rida Cabanilla, who filed to run against her, called on Gabbard to resign because she would not be able to represent her district from Iraq. Gabbard announced in August 2004 that she would not campaign for a second term, and Cabanilla won the Democratic primary with 58% of the vote. State law prevented the removal of Gabbard's name from the ballot.

Honolulu City Council (2011–2012)

After returning home from her second deployment to the Middle East in 2009, Gabbard ran for a seat on the Honolulu City Council vacated by City Councilman Rod Tam, of the 6th district, who decided to retire to run for mayor of Honolulu. In the 10-candidate nonpartisan open primary in September 2010, Gabbard finished first with 26.8% of the vote. In the November 2 runoff election she defeated Sesnita Moepono with 49.5% of the vote.

Gabbard introduced a measure to help food truck vendors by loosening parking restrictions. She also introduced Bill 54, a measure that authorized city workers to confiscate personal belongings stored on public property with 24 hours notice to its owner. After overcoming opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Occupy Hawai'i, Bill 54 passed and became City Ordinance 1129.

United States House of Representatives (2013–2021)

2012 election and first term (113th Congress)

Main article: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii § District 2

Gabbard during the 113th Congress

In early 2011, Mazie Hirono, the incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district, announced that she would run for the United States Senate. In May 2011, Gabbard announced her candidacy for Hirono's House seat. The Democratic mayor of Honolulu, Mufi Hannemann, was the best-known candidate in the six-way primary, but Gabbard won with 62,882 votes (55%); the Honolulu Star-Advertiser called her win an "improbable rise from a distant underdog to victory". After winning the primary, Gabbard resigned from the City Council on August 16 "in order to focus on her congressional campaign" and to prevent the cost of holding a special election.

As the Democratic nominee, Gabbard spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the invitation of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who called Gabbard "an emerging star". As expected in heavily Democratic Hawaii, she won the general election on November 6, 2012, defeating Republican Kawika Crowley by 168,503 to 40,707 votes (80.6%–19.4%), becoming the first voting Samoan-American and first Hindu member of Congress.

In December 2012, Gabbard applied to be considered for appointment to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Daniel Inouye. Despite support from some prominent mainland Democrats, she was not on the list of three candidates which the Democratic Party of Hawaii sent to the governor.

In March 2013, Gabbard introduced the Helping Heroes Fly Act, which sought to improve and expedite airport security screening for severely wounded veterans. The measure to assist veterans got bi-partisan support and was passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate, while also getting support from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Union. Subsequently, it was signed into law by president Barack Obama. She also introduced the House version of the Military Justice Improvement Act.

Second term (114th Congress)

See also: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii § District 2

Gabbard speaks at the 135th National Guard Association of the United States conference in 2013

Gabbard was reelected on November 8, 2014, defeating Crowley again, by 142,010 to 33,630 votes (78.7%–18.6%); Libertarian candidate Joe Kent garnered 4,693 votes (2.6%).

Along with Senator Hirono, Gabbard introduced a bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Filipinos and Filipino American veterans who had fought in World War II. The bill passed Congress and was signed into law by president Obama in December 2016.

In November 2015, Gabbard introduced Talia's Law, which sought to prevent child abuse and neglect on military bases. It was passed by Congress in February 2016, and signed into law by president Obama in December of that year.

Third term (115th Congress)

See also: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii § District 2

Gabbard was reelected on November 8, 2016, defeating Republican nominee Angela Kaaihue by 170,848 to 39,668 votes (81.2%–18.8%). In 2017, Gabbard introduced the Off Fossil Fuels (OFF) Act, which sought to "justly transition away from fossil fuel sources of energy to 100% clean energy by 2035, and for other purposes".

In 2018, Gabbard introduced the Securing America's Election Act, a bill that would require all districts to use paper ballots, which would yield an auditable paper trail in the event of a recount. Common Cause, a nonpartisan watchdog group, endorsed the bill.

Fourth term (116th Congress)

See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii § District 2

Gabbard was reelected in November 2018, defeating Republican nominee Brian Evans by 153,271 to 44,850 votes (77.4%–22.6%). In September 2018, Gabbard and Representative Walter Jones (R-N.C.) co-sponsored the No More Presidential Wars Act, an effort to "reclaim the responsibility Congress has to be the body that declares war, to end these presidential wars that are being fought without the authorization of Congress".

On October 25, 2019, Gabbard announced that she would not seek reelection to the House in 2020, citing her presidential campaign. Hawaii State Senator Kai Kahele had been challenging her for the congressional seat. Kahele and the co-chair of his campaign, former Hawaii governor Neil Abercrombie, criticized her for missing votes while campaigning for president — especially the vote on Syria; however, her absences were similar to at the time other members of Congress running for president. Between January and July, she had missed nearly a quarter of votes. However, her absences became more frequent in late 2019. Gabbard was absent for 85% of votes held between the start of October through late-December. One of the votes she managed to cast during this period was her "present" votes on both articles of impeachment in the first impeachment of Donald Trump. Gabbard did not resign, though her frequent absences continued until she ended her campaign. Between the start of January 2020 and end of March, Gabbard missed 65% of votes. While she maintained strong attendance beginning in April, her frequent absences at the start of 2020 meant that she ultimately missed 36% of votes held in the year 2020, giving her the 4th-lowest attendance that year among all House members.

In October 2020, Tulsi Gabbard and Matt Gaetz introduced a bill calling for the United States to drop criminal charges against Edward Snowden. She introduced a similar bill, with Kentucky Republican congressman Thomas Massie, aimed at ensuring the release of Julian Assange from prison in the United Kingdom where he was being held pending resolution of extradition proceedings to the United States.

House Committee assignments (2013-2021)

Gabbard served on several important House committees and subcommittees during her four terms in Congress from 2013 to 2021. Given her military background, she served on House Armed Services Committee (HASC) for all four terms from 2013 to 2021, overseeing the funding of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the United States Armed Forces, among its other duties. In 2018, as a member of HASC, Gabbard moved an amendment for better personal protective equipment for civil defense agencies near active volcanic activity, and the amendment was adopted by the house with a voice vote.

In her fourth term, Gabbard served on the Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence, which has jurisdiction over Department of Defense programs related to military intelligence, national intelligence, and counter-terrorism among its wide range of intelligence related responsibilities. This subcommittee of the HASC, whose role includes oversight of critical military activities in the areas of Special Operations Forces and Intelligence operations was called the subcommittee on "Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities" during Gabbard's term in the 116th Congress, and was renamed as the subcommittee on "Intelligence and Special Operations" in 117th Congress.

As a member of the Intelligence subcommittee, Gabbard attended several key hearings on emerging intelligence threats, including a 2019 session on securing the nation's internet architecture, which discussed cyber threats from adversaries and received inputs from the intelligence community on cyber espionage. In another hearing in 2020 on artificial intelligence, the committee discussed inputs on advanced battle management systems powered by powerful data analytics and the future of warfighting. The committee members also received operational and intelligence oversight briefings from the Department of Defense.

Her committee memberships are mentioned below:

• Committee on Homeland Security (2013–2014)
  • Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security
• Committee on Armed Services (2013–2021)
  • United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness
  • United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations (2019–2021)
• Committee on Foreign Affairs (2013–2019)
  • Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
  • Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
• Committee on Financial Services (2019–2021)
  • Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy
  • Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion

Caucus memberships (2013-2021)

Gabbard has been a member of several congressional caucuses advocating issues of several communities, notable among them being her service with Asian Pacific American Caucus often addressing concerns of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Her caucus memberships are listed below:

• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
• Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus
• Medicare for All Caucus
• U.S.-Japan Caucus

Democratic National Committee

On January 22, 2013, Gabbard was unanimously elected to a four-year term as a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. In September 2015, she criticized chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz's decision to hold only six debates during the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries, compared with 26 in 2008 and 15 in 2004, and to exclude any candidate who participated in a non-DNC sanctioned debate from all future DNC-sanctioned debates. In a 2015 Facebook post, Gabbard released a statement about the heated and public disagreements surrounding the debates, again urging the Democratic Party to open up the process.

Following her public criticisms of the debate process, Gabbard was reported to have been either "disinvited" or asked to "consider not coming" to the October 13, 2015, Democratic debate in Las Vegas. In an interview with The New York Times, she spoke of an unhealthy atmosphere, saying, "no one told me I would be relinquishing my freedom of speech and checking it at the door" in taking the job. Gabbard privately wrote to Wasserman Schultz, accusing her of violating the DNC's duty of neutrality by favoring Hillary Clinton.

Gabbard resigned as DNC vice chair on February 28, 2016, in order to endorse Senator Bernie Sanders's candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination for president of the United States. On that same day, she appeared on Meet the Press and discussed why she was stepping down. She was the first congresswoman to endorse Sanders, and later gave the nominating speech putting his name forward at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. In July 2016, Gabbard launched a petition to end the Democratic Party's process of appointing superdelegates in the nomination process. She endorsed Keith Ellison for DNC chair in the 2017 chairmanship elections.

Gabbard was assigned as Bernie Sanders' running mate in California for any write-in votes for him. Shortly after the election, she was mentioned as a possible presidential candidate for 2020. In the 2016 United States presidential election, a Minnesota faithless elector voted Sanders for president and Gabbard for vice president, but as per Minnesota law the elector was immediately replaced by someone who followed procedure, voting for Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine.

2020 presidential campaign

Main article: Tulsi Gabbard 2020 presidential campaign

Gabbard campaigning for president in San Francisco, California

Tulsi Gabbard 2020 presidential campaign logo

In February 2019, Gabbard officially launched her 2020 presidential campaign. Gabbard was the first female combat veteran to run for president. CNN described her foreign policy platform as anti-interventionist and her economic platform as populist. Gabbard was the most frequently Googled candidate after the first, second, and fourth 2020 Democratic debates.

In the second debate, when asked about her meeting with Assad, she said she "will never apologize for doing all that I can to prevent more of my brothers and sisters from being sent into harm's way to fight counterproductive regime change wars that made our country less safe. … [I]f that means meeting with a dictator or meeting with an adversary, absolutely, I would do it. This is about the national security of our country." When Anderson Cooper asked if she considered Assad a torturer and murderer, Gabbard responded "That's not what this is about. I don't defend or apologize or have anything to do with what he has done." Cooper repeated his question, asking if she agreed that "Assad is a murderer and a torturer"; Gabbard responded "I don't dispute that."

In a CNN panel discussion the following day, A.B. Stoddard, associate editor of Real Clear Politics, observed: "it is all over the internet today that "Russian bots are helping Tulsi Gabbard [and] that [she] refuses to condemn Assad because she's doing the work of the Russians and is going to run as a third-party spoiler and reelect Trump." Stoddard continued: "There are serious knives out for Tulsi Gabbard."

While Gabbard did not meet the polling threshold for the third presidential debate, she did qualify for the fourth debate in Ohio in October 2019. In July 2019, Gabbard was the only 2020 presidential candidate to visit Puerto Rico and join protests urging Governor Ricardo Rosselló to resign.

In August 2019, The Hill political commentator Krystal Ball noted that Gabbard had been "dismissed and otherized" by the media, with her campaign scrutinized for alleged Russian ties, citing as examples: NBC News suggestion that her campaign was enhanced by Russian bots, based on a group that had in another instance been revealed for fabricating such claims; and The Daily Beast's accusation she was being supported by "Putin apologists," citing a small percentage of her donors. Ball noted, "Her interaction with Assad is weaponized to undercut everything else Tulsi has to say about the American warfighting machine," pointing out that critics often have "a bit of a blind spot about their own foreign policy positions."

In September 2019, Vanity Fair summarized media coverage of Gabbard's presidential campaign as "the press hates Gabbard even more than it hates Sanders". The Hill's news anchor Krystal Ball and Chief Washington Correspondent Saagar Enjeti both described Gabbard as "the most unfairly maligned person in Washington". Lexico-statistical analysis showed Gabbard received the most negative coverage during the June–September period.

In October 2019, former secretary of state and 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said that Gabbard was a "Russian asset". Gabbard was defended by fellow 2020 Democratic presidential candidates Andrew Yang, Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders, who rejected Clinton's suggestion that Gabbard was a Russian asset. Trump also defended Gabbard. Initial news stories had mistakenly also reported Clinton claimed Russia was "grooming" Gabbard to run as a third-party candidate, who would help president Donald Trump win reelection via a spoiler effect. However, Gabbard had repeatedly said she would not run as a third-party candidate in 2020 and did not do so. CNN host Van Jones, meanwhile, opined that Clinton's statement was "a complete smear with no facts". Gabbard herself condemned Clinton's remarks in tweets, calling Clinton “the queen of warmongers” and the “personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long.” She claimed there was a campaign to destroy her reputation, orchestrated by Clinton via proxies in media and the war machine. In January 2020, Gabbard filed a legal defamation lawsuit against Clinton over the 'Russian asset' assertion as indicated in the complaint; but dropped it five months later with her lawyers stating the legal merit was valid but living in a "post-Covid world" they could better focus their attention elsewhere.

Also in October 2019, The Nation's James Carden wrote: "McCarthyism had gone mainstream" as media attacked Gabbard. He saw the Clinton-Gabbard feud as part of "a long campaign of vilification against critics of the Russia consensus" by Clinton and "her allies in the media (which very much include certain former high-ranking members of the US intelligence community)".

After both the November and December 2019 debates, Saturday Night Live's parodies of the these debates showed Gabbard as the villain, introduced her with menacing music and flashing lights and had her actress laughing evil and making threats.

On March 3, 2020, Gabbard, who is of Samoan descent, earned two delegates in American Samoa, making her the second woman of color (after Shirley Chisholm) and the first Asian-American and Pacific-Islander presidential candidate to earn primary delegates. She was also the only non-white Democratic party candidate to earn delegates in the 2020 election cycle. On March 19, 2020, Gabbard dropped out of the 2020 election and endorsed former vice president Joe Biden. Gabbard was the only candidate with primary delegates to not be invited to the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Post-presidential primary activities (2020–2021)

In July 2020, the family of Vanessa Guillén, a U.S. Army soldier and victim of military sexual harassment who was found murdered after previously being reported missing, met with Gabbard. She said that as a fellow service member in the U.S. Army, she was "stand[ing] here for Vanessa", "for her family".

In August 2020, Gabbard and Scott Miscovich held a press conference lauding Jennifer Smith, the state's epidemiological specialist who blew the whistle regarding the Hawaii Department of Health's lack of contact tracers to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith was put on paid leave and Gabbard again came in support of Smith. In November 2020, Smith returned to work from her paid leave.

In September 2020, Gabbard filed paperwork with the FEC to change her presidential campaign committee, Tulsi Now, into Tulsi Aloha, a leadership PAC, as well as a legal expense trust fund to pay off debts from the lawsuit against Clinton. Later that same month, she weighed in to the public disagreement surrounding the Netflix film Cuties, alleging that Netflix was "complicit" in "help[ing] fuel the child sex trafficking trade".

Post-congressional activities (2021–2022)

In January 2021, Gabbard launched her own podcast, called This is Tulsi Gabbard. She also made several appearances on Fox News programs since leaving Congress, where she criticized figures such as House speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. representative Adam Schiff, calling the latter a "domestic terrorist" for what she deemed as his attempt to "undermin[e] our constitution by trying to take away our civil liberties and rights" in the aftermath of the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol.

In November 2021, she celebrated the victory of Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin in the Virginia Gubernatorial election over Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe, and tweeted, "McAuliffe's loss is a victory for all Americans. Why? Because it was a resounding rejection of efforts to divide us by race, the stripping of parental rights, and arrogant, deaf leaders. This benefits us all". In an appearance on Hannity in April 2022, she expressed support for Florida's publicly debated Parental Rights Bill, and said that in her opinion it did not go far enough in that it only covered grades K through 3, while Gabbard believed it should have continued all the way through twelfth grade. (A follow-up bill in the state did just that one year later.) In 2022 Gabbard spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference, drawing criticism from Hawaii Democrats.

Departure from the Democratic Party (2022)

On October 11, 2022, Gabbard announced on Twitter that she was leaving the Democratic Party, accusing its leadership of "cowardly wokeness, anti-white racism, (being) hostile to people of faith and spirituality, and dragging us closer to nuclear war". Shortly thereafter, Gabbard endorsed and campaigned for several Donald Trump-supported Republican candidates in the 2022 midterm elections. Among those she endorsed were Senate candidates Don Bolduc, Adam Laxalt and JD Vance, and Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

Post-Congressional Media Career (2022 onwards)

Gabbard at the Young Americans for Liberty's (YAL) "Revolution 2022" event in August 2022

In August 2022, Gabbard started serving as the fill-in host for Tucker Carlson Tonight and continued to be a frequent guest host of Tucker Carlson Tonight until its cancellation in 2023. In November 2022, Gabbard signed a deal with Fox News as a paid contributor after years of being a frequent guest on several of their programs. She also serves as a frequent guest and occasional host on shows such as The Five, Outnumbered, Hannity, Jesse Watters Primetime, Gutfeld!, and more.

Joining the Republican Party (2024)

Following Trump's entry into the 2024 Republican presidential primary, commentators suggested that Gabbard may be considered by Trump as a potential vice presidential running mate.

On February 22, 2024, she was a featured speaker at CPAC, raising speculation of her candidacy as a potential vice presidential selection. During a Fox & Friends interview on March 6, Gabbard was directly asked about serving as Trump's vice-president. She responded, "I would be honored to serve our country in that way and be in a position to help President Trump." In March 2024, Gabbard was cited by Trump as one of his potential choices for his vice presidential running mate.

On August 26, 2024, Gabbard endorsed Trump's re-election bid during a National Guard Association gathering in Michigan. The next day, Gabbard was named as an honorary co-chair of Donald Trump's presidential transition team, alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr., joining the former president's sons and the Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance. On October 22, 2024, while speaking at a Trump rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, Gabbard announced she was joining the Republican Party.

Nomination for director of national intelligence (2024)

On November 13, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he had chosen Gabbard to serve as the director of national intelligence in his second term, citing her two decades of experience in the military with the U.S. Army Reserve and Hawaii Army National Guard, further stating that Gabbard would bring "a fearless spirit" to the intelligence agencies and secure "peace through strength."

While Gabbard's nomination garnered support from segments that were aligned with her view against military interventions, and her calls for reform in intelligence agencies, The Independent reported that a "tidal wave of negative media coverage" appeared after her nomination for DNI. Politico claimed that, in 2022, Gabbard had suggested Ukraine housed U.S.-funded bioweapons labs; The Guardian stated she had accused the U.S. of running biological weapons laboratories there and that she had endorsed a Russian claim justifying their invasion with the existence of these labs. Her comments were described by her detractors as lending credibility to Kremlin propaganda.

The nomination has been controversial, with many veterans and Republicans expressing support citing Gabbard's military background, while many other officials, especially Democrats, consider it problematic. She received criticism for her lack of experience in the area of intelligence, and her controversial foreign positions on Russia, China, Syria, and Iran. On November 15, 2024 Debbie Wasserman Schultz told MSNBC, "There's no question I consider her someone who is likely a Russian asset, who would … essentially would be a direct line to our enemies." Jason Crow, a House Democrat from Colorado and a member of the House intelligence committee, told NBC News that he has "deep questions about where her loyalties lie". "We get a lot of intelligence from our allies, and there I would be worried about a chilling effect," he said.

Several Republican senators defended Gabbard and called Democrats' allegations unfounded, noting that having different political views on the Ukraine war should not be a basis for wild allegations against her, especially as she has been honorably serving in the Army National Guard and Army Reserve for over two decades. Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin took strong exception to allegations against Gabbard by Democrat Tammy Duckworth, stating, "That's the most dangerous thing she (Duckworth) could say — is that a United States lieutenant colonel in the United States Army is compromised and is an asset of Russia.", referring to Gabbard's current rank as lieutenant colonel. Supporters argued that Gabbard's willingness to challenge the status quo and call out corruption within the intelligence community could bring a new direction that prioritizes national interests and accountability over entrenched bureaucratic interests.

Former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton, also expressed concern about the nomination. Jeh Johnson, who ran the Department of Homeland Security during the second term of President Barack Obama, found the pick intriguing. Three of Gabbard's former aides told ABC News that Gabbard regularly read and shared articles from the Russian state-news site RT, formerly known as Russia Today. One former aide said Gabbard continued to circulate articles from RT "long after" she was advised that the outlet was not a credible source of information. Russian state media has welcomed Gabbard's nomination.

According to The New York Times, "no evidence has emerged" that Gabbard "has ever collaborated in any way with Russia's intelligence agencies". Unnamed analysts and former officials have observed that Gabbard's foreign policy stances, particularly her advocacy for less confrontational policies towards Russia, resonate with narratives often promoted by Russian state media. However, in February 2022, Gabbard publicly stated her opposition to Russia's military operation in Ukraine, indicating a nuanced view on these issues. In 2019, Politico reported that, when asked (on MSNBC's Morning Joe) whether she believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is a U.S. adversary, "Gabbard responded without hesitation: 'Yes.'"

Several Trump transition officials highlighted Gabbard's strong military career and Congressional experience on Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, where she had access to U.S. intelligence via classified briefings. Republican Senator Eric Schmitt said that it was a "slur" to call Gabbard a "Russian asset" and told NBC News' Kristen Welker on "Meet the Press" regarding Democrat allegations that "anybody that has a different political view now is being cast as a Russian asset", further pointing out that Gabbard has "served this country honorably" in the military.

On December 4, 2024, over 100 former national security and other officials wrote a letter expressing concern at Gabbard's nomination. The letter specifically criticized Gabbard's skepticism towards U.S. intelligence reports on Assad's use of chemical weapons. It overlooked her statements that no evidence had been presented to Congress about Assad's culpability and that US military action at that time "flew directly in the face" of the UN's plan for an independent investigation. While the letter also accused Gabbard of insinuating that U.S.-funded labs in Ukraine were developing biological weapons, she had clarified that her concern was about "dangerous pathogens," not bio-weapons in the labs around Ukraine. A spokesperson for Gabbard responded that "these unfounded attacks" are from the same people who use classified information as a “partisan weapon to smear" their political enemy.

On December 9, 2024, more than 250 veterans signed an open letter supporting and endorsing Gabbard for the DNI position, including Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), who is set to helm the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and former acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller. The letter titled "American Veterans for Tulsi Gabbard" said that she was "a warrior whose vote cannot be bought" and that they were proud to call her one of their own. The letter further said that “Tulsi’s life exemplifies a rare blend of selflessness, courage, and leadership — qualities desperately needed to reform and strengthen our intelligence community.”

A former deputy national security adviser to Trump, Victoria Coates believes that recent global shocks like the Taliban's rise, Hamas attacks, and Assad's fall show the intelligence community needs new leadership, and advocates for an outsider to diagnose and correct systemic issues. Some senators in their meeting with Gabbard have noted their concerns about past intelligence officials for their briefings that often lacked depth, and resembled news articles rather than providing substantial follow-on analysis. If confirmed, Gabbard will be the first Pacific Islander American and first Hindu American to serve in a Cabinet-level position and will become the highest-ranking Pacific Islander American and Hindu American government official in U.S. history.

Domestic policy positions

Main article: Political positions of Tulsi Gabbard

Standing with fellow House Democrats to demand a vote on gun control measures

While in 2020 Democratic presidential primary, Gabbard's political positions were broadly moderate on domestic policy issues, after 2020, she has taken more conservative positions on culture war social issues, including abortion, gun control and transgender rights. In 2022, Gabbard introduced a bill to ban trans-women from female sports, and supports that women sports should be for biological females, a position popular with conservatives. In 2022, she was also a featured speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). She has also been a frequent critic of the Biden administration.

Drug policy and criminal justice reform

Gabbard speaking in support of the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act with Rep. Don Young (R-AK) in 2019

Gabbard has been outspoken against a "broken criminal justice system" that puts "people in prison for smoking marijuana" while allowing pharmaceutical corporations responsible for "opioid-related deaths of thousands to walk away scot-free with their coffers full". Gabbard has said that as president she would "end the failed war on drugs, legalize marijuana, end cash bail, and ban private prisons". Bills she has introduced include the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act and the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act.

In January 2020, in response to a question from a voter, Gabbard called for legalizing and regulating all drugs, citing Portugal's model for drug decriminalization. In June 2020, Gabbard introduced an amendment to the House version of the 2021 NDAA to allow members of Armed Services to use products containing CBD and other hemp derivatives. It was approved 336 to 71 as a package, although House leaders did not fight for its inclusion in the final bill.

Immigration

Gabbard along with 47 other Democrats expressed support in 2015 for increased border security and voted with Republicans for vetting of Iraqi and Syrian refugees. At that time, Gabbard also called for halting the visa waiver program after mass numbers of Syrian immigrants entered Germany, until the threat of terrorist attacks was resolved. However, between 2013 and 2021, Gabbard had also expressed support for an easier path to citizenship for immigrants without legal status, increasing skilled immigration, and granting work visas to immigrants. By 2022, she had said she would be open to a proposal for a border wall if experts say it is warranted.

Environment

Gabbard has often supported the causes of Native Americans and tribal lands, such as her support for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe against the construction of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016, wherein she co-signed a letter requesting the Obama administration to address the tribal concerns about the project. Gabbard successfully passed an amendment to the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act that would require the Department of Energy to reexamine the safety of the Runit Dome, a leaking Cold War era nuclear waste site in the Marshall Islands. She later called for "fresh eyes" to ensure a more independent assessment of the waste site's safety.

Gabbard has spoken in favor of a Green New Deal but expressed concerns about vagueness in some proposed versions of the legislation and its inclusion of nuclear energy. She advocated her own "Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act" ("OFF Act") as legislation to transition the United States to renewable energy.

Healthcare and GMO labeling

Gabbard supported a national healthcare insurance program to cover uninsured, as well as under-insured people, and allowed supplemental but not duplicative private insurance. She has since advocated for a two-tier universal health care plan that she calls "Single Payer Plus", loosely modeled after Australia's system and allowing for both supplementary and duplicative private insurance.

Gabbard pushed to reinstate Medicaid eligibility for people from the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau working and living in the United States. She called for addressing the national nursing shortage and supported clear GMO labeling, voting in 2016 against a GMO-labeling bill she said was too weak.

First impeachment of Donald Trump

Main article: First impeachment of Donald Trump

Gabbard voted "present" when the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump in December 2019. In two video messages and a press release, she cited The Federalist Papers essay No. 65, and described her vote as a protest against "a political zero-sum game". Gabbard introduced H. Res. 766, which would censure Trump for several of his foreign policy decisions and "send a strong message to this president and future presidents that their abuses of power will not go unchecked, while leaving the question of removing Trump from office to the voters to decide". A week later, Gabbard said she had serious concerns that the impeachment would increase the likelihood that her party would lose the presidential election and its majority in the House of Representatives.

LGBTQ rights

Gabbard's views on LGBTQ rights have changed over the years, as evidenced by her 2013 signing of an amicus brief supporting gay marriage while in her early years, she was associated with her father's campaign opposing gay marriage. In 1998, when she was 17 years old, Gabbard supported her father's successful campaign to amend the Constitution of Hawaii to give lawmakers the power to "reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples". She also favored the Federal Marriage Amendment that would prevent overriding state law with regard to same-sex marriage.

In 2012, Gabbard apologized for her "anti-gay advocacy" and said she would "fight for the repeal" of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In June 2013, she was an initial cosponsor of the legislation to repeal DOMA. Gabbard was a member of the House LGBT Equality Caucus. She received ratings of 92%, 88%, 100%, and 84% for her four congressional terms for pro-LGBT legislation from the Human Rights Campaign, a group that advocates for LGBT rights. After launching her presidential campaign in 2019, Gabbard apologized for her past anti-gay views and said that her views had been changed by her experience in the military "with LGBTQ service members, both here at home and while deployed". After criticism from Democrats over her past anti-gay remarks, she was defended by conservative pundit Tucker Carlson, journalist Glenn Greenwald, and openly gay representative Sean Patrick Maloney.

In 2020, Gabbard and Republican U.S. representative Markwayne Mullin introduced a bill titled the "Protect Women's Sports Act" that would seek to define Title IX protections on the basis of an individual's biological sex. After introducing the bill, Gabbard was condemned by activists and LGBTQ organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, which said: "Gabbard has lost all credibility as an ally."

In 2022, Gabbard endorsed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits public schools in Florida from having "classroom discussion" or giving "classroom instruction" about sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through third grade or in any manner deemed to be against state standards in all grades. She said the bill "bans government and government schools from indoctrinating woke sexual values in our schools to a captive audience". She also suggested that the bill should apply to all grades.

Foreign policy positions

See also: Political positions of Tulsi Gabbard

In her foreign policy positions, Gabbard has taken a strong stand against Islamic extremism in the Middle East and supported tough actions against terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda and ISIS. She describes herself as a hawk "when it comes to the war against terrorists", but a dove "when it comes to counterproductive wars of regime change".

Gabbard has also called for reducing military interventionism by the United States. She criticizes the neocon war machine and "media giants ruled by corporate interests who are in the pocket of the establishment war machine" for U.S. involvement in "counterproductive, wasteful regime change wars", stating they have not made the United States any safer and have contributed to a New Cold War and nuclear arms race.

Israel and Palestine

After Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Gabbard came out strongly in support of Israel and condemned Hamas, calling it an Islamist terrorist organization. In November 2023, she attended the March for Israel at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

She has called pro-Palestine protesters in the US "puppets of a radical Islamist organization". Gabbard is opposed to a ceasefire in Gaza. In an interview uploaded to YouTube in February, she called Hamas a "threat that needs to be defeated militarily and ideologically". When asked what she thought about the US supporting a UN resolution that seeks a ceasefire in Gaza, Gabbard said it needs to be approached strategically. "We have to be realists about the threat that continues to exist for the people of Israel. So as long as Hamas is in power, the people of Israel will not be secure and cannot live in peace."

Middle East

Gabbard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia

During her time in Congress, Gabbard took a strong stand against Islamic terrorism in the Middle East, often invoking her experience as a veteran of the Iraq War. In some of her appearances on Fox News between 2013 and 2017, she faulted President Obama over his refusal to refer to the Islamic State's beliefs and terrorism as "Islamic extremism" or "radical Islam". In a 2015 interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Gabbard criticized the Obama administration for "refusing" to say that the "real enemy" of the United States is Islamic extremists. Gabbard expressed reservations about the US involvement in Syrian civil war, and said that "We must end our war to overthrow the Syrian government and focus our attention on defeating al-Qaeda and ISIS".

On December 20, 2019, the Stop Arming Terrorists Act that she introduced in 2017 became law as part of National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, § 1228 to prohibit the Department of Defense from "knowingly providing weapons or any other form of support to Al Qaeda" or other terrorist groups or any individual or group affiliated with any such organization.

Gabbard was critical of the U.S. military's 2020 Baghdad International Airport airstrike (which killed high-level Iranian general Qasem Soleimani) as an act of war by U.S. president Donald Trump and a violation of the U.S. Constitution, arguing that Trump did not have congressional authorization for this act.

The Assad regime in Syria

Visit to Syria

In January 2017, Gabbard went on a one-week "fact-finding mission" to Syria and Lebanon, during which she met various political and religious leaders from both countries – and also had two unplanned meetings with then-Syrian-president Bashar al-Assad.

The visit came after Gabbard had introduced legislation that would, in her words, "end our country's illegal war to overthrow the Syrian government." The visit was the first by a U.S. lawmaker since Nancy Pelosi in 2007, and made under a travel warning issued by the United States Department of State. As required by House rules, the House Ethics Committee approved the trip. (A State Department official said that, as the trip was private, the department was not involved.) The trip was privately funded by a Cleveland-based Arab American group sympathetic to Assad, but after facing controversy over the trips funding, Gabbard decided to personally reimburse the cost of the trip. As Gabbard explained to CNN's Jake Tapper, "When the opportunity arose to meet with [Assad], I did so because I felt it's important that if we profess to truly care about the Syrian people, about their suffering, then we've got to be able to meet with anyone that we need to if there's a possibility that we could achieve peace. And that's exactly what we've talked about." Regarding the rebel groups, she remarked: "[T]he strongest fighting force on the ground in Syria is al-Nusra or Al Qaeda and ISIS. That is a fact."

Following her meeting with Syrian religious leaders, Gabbard said in a blog post "Each [Syrian religious leader] called for peace, and an end to foreign support of terrorists who are trying to rid Syria of its secular, pluralistic, free society." Asia Times, reporting on Gabbard's comments, said that Freedom House ranked Assad’s Syria close to the bottom on its freedom rankings, below North Korea, China and Iran, calling it “one of the world’s most oppressive regimes.”

Republican Adam Kinzinger said on the House floor "To say I’m disgusted would be an understatement,” “By meeting with the mass murderer of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, Tulsi Gabbard has legitimized his dictatorship and, in turn, legitimized his genocide against the Syrian people - the murdering of 50,000+ innocent children among the nearly half million total slaughtered by his regime.”

Hawaii News Now reported that Gabbard's visit to Assad was "roundly criticized" by both sides of the political spectrum for giving Assad international credibility despite the civilian deaths under his regime. Hakim Ouansafi from the Muslim Association of Hawaii labeled the visit a "black mark" on Gabbard's record, citing international evidence of Assad's war crimes from the UN and Amnesty International. However, some in the Hawaii Muslim community viewed her visit as independent and courageous, with University of Hawaii professor Ibrahim Aoude expressing admiration for her bravery.

Chemical weapons

In April 2017, following the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack, Tulsi Gabbard was interviewed by Wolf Blitzer on CNN. She emphasized that "What matters is the evidence and facts," stating she would denounce Assad as a war criminal if found responsible by an independent investigation. Gabbard expressed skepticism, noting, "So whether the President says that they have the evidence, the fact remains that they have not brought that evidence before Congress," and that Trump's military strike "flew directly in the face" of the UN's action "to launch an independent investigation, to find out exactly what the facts are, who was involved and who was responsible, so the appropriate consequences could be levied." She drew parallels to the Iraq War, warning against repeating "a counterproductive regime war" without clear evidence and congressional consent.

CNN headlined their report on the interview: "Rep. Tulsi Gabbard ‘skeptical’ that Assad regime behind gas attack" and tweeted "Rep. Gabbard: 'Yes, I’m skeptical' of claim Assad regime is behind chemical weapons attack." The Washington Post included the CNN tweet four days later in their "What is Tulsi Gabbard thinking on Syria?". Other stories similarly reported Gabbard's 'skepticism' without mentioning her call for evidence to be presented to Congress and a UN investigation to determine appropriate consequences, with some linking to the CNN article or tweet. Similar reporting reappeared in the run-up to and during her presidential campaign and, again, after her being nominated for DNI Two articles that did mention Gabbard's focus on evidence were Politico in February 2019 and the BBC in November 2024.

On March 10, 2019, in a CNN Townhall, in response to Dana Bash asking "Do you remain skeptical as you were in 2017 that Bashir al Assad used chemical warfare against Syrian civilians?", Gabbard said: "I want to correct that... Chemical weapons have been used in Syria, both by the Syrian government as well as different terrorist groups... The skepticism and the questions that I raised were very specific around incidents that the Trump administration was trying to use as an excuse to launch a U.S. military attack in Syria...."

On March 29, 2019, Tom McCarthy of The Guardian wrote that Gabbard had "repeatedly cast doubt on the wealth of evidence that the Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad, used chemical weapons on his own people."

In August 2019, the Tulsi 2020 presidential campaign published “Reports on Chemical Attacks in Syria” on her campaign website. The report said that there "is evidence" that both sides have used chemical weapons in Syria, but that Gabbard "remained skeptical" of the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack, and the Douma chemical attack. According to Bellingcat, a Netherlands-based investigative journalism group specializing in fact-checking and open-source intelligence, Gabbard's report contained a number of factual errors and misleading statements. The report pointed to a number of so-called "inconsistencies" in the OPCW report on Khan Shaykhun, with Gabbard stating that: (1) the size and shape of the crater was more consistent with an IED rather than an aerial bomb, (2) that videos showed the wind blowing in a different direction—suggesting the videos were taken on a different day, (3) photographs indicate that the crater had been tampered with, and (4) Sarin was not used in the attack because "Photographs show persons standing around the bomb casing wearing only gloves and dust masks, which would not be sufficient to protect them from sarin residue in the crater. On the IED claim, Bellingcat said that the source Gabbard cited, Theodore Postol, later rejected the IED hypothesis, and said a rocket likely caused the crater. On the wind claim, Bellingcat said that the video mentioned by Gabbard was not facing the chemical attacks, and rather showed smoke caused by explosive munitions used in airstrikes nearby. On Gabbard's claim that the crater had been tampered with, Bellingcat said that "No-one is denying items and objects in and around the crater were moved, but this is not evidence the scene has been faked", a number of samples were taken from the crater by various groups (including the Syrian government) and provided to the OPCW. On the claim that Sarin could not have been used due to persons safely standing near the crater hours after the attack, Bellingcat pointed to research on the persistency of Sarin at differing temperatures, Sarin has a particularly low persistency at the temperature experienced in Khan Shaykhun at the time, and it would "not be unbelievable" for individuals to stand in and around the crater hours after the attack took place.

The report also pointed to a number of so-called "inconsistencies" in the OPCW report on the Douma chemical attack, with Gabbard stating that (1) a leaked engineers assessment contradicted the reports findings, (2) that there were inconsistencies with the hole found in the roof, and (3) that the OPCW report failed to include the discovery of a nearby chemical weapons lab that contained several identical yellow gas cylinders. On the leaked engineers assessment, Bellingcat points out that it contained a number of innacuracies, including incorrectly naming the lead investigator. The report also attributed blame for the attacks, which is not within the OPCW's remit—which is why the report was not published. On inconsistencies with the hole, Gabbard claimed that the “The hole is several times wider than the diameter of the gas cylinder”, Bellingcat said this claim is "totally untrue", and provided images showing the hole and gas cylinder together. In addition, Gabbard appears to confuse differing sites in the OPCW report. On the claim that the OPCW failed to include the discovery of a nearby chemical weapons lab in its report, Bellingcat says this is "completely untrue". The OPCW report did include the site in its report, dedicating several pages to it, but found that it was "highly unlikely" that the site was producing chemical weapons, and instead found a "high consistency between the equipment and chemicals present in terms of production of explosives. All of the chemicals observed are common in the production of explosives and propellants". According to Bellingcat, "the Syrian military and media has a long history of presenting explosive manufacturing facilities as rebel chemical weapon labs, and this seems to be another example of them doing just that." "Reports on Chemical Attacks in Syria" no longer appears on Gabbard's website.

U.S. involvement in Syria

Following her 2017 visit to Syria, Gabbard wrote on her blog "There is no difference between “moderate” rebels and al-Qaeda (al-Nusra) or ISIS — they are all the same. This is a war between terrorists under the command of groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda and the Syrian government. They [the Syrian people] cry out for the U.S. and other countries to stop supporting those who are destroying Syria and her people."

In 2018 Gabbard characterized the US as waging a regime change war in Syria since 2011.

In a February 2019 interview with MSNBC a month after the start of her presidential campaign, she said, "Assad is not the enemy of the United States because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States" In a subsequent interview on CNN, she said "There are brutal dictators in the world. Assad of Syria is one of them. That does not mean the United States should be waging regime-change wars around the world."

In August 2019, she said that Assad is "a brutal dictator. Just like Saddam Hussein. Just like Gadhafi in Libya. The reason that I'm so outspoken on this issue of ending these wasteful regime-change wars is because I have seen firsthand this high human cost of war and the impact that it has on my fellow brothers and sisters in uniform."

On December 4, 2024, over 100 former diplomats, national security officials and intelligence officials wrote to Senate leaders expressing alarm at Gabbard's nomination. Their letter specifically criticized Gabbard's skepticism towards U.S. intelligence reports on Assad's use of chemical weapons, claiming it casts doubt on her ability to deliver unbiased briefings. It overlooked her statements that no evidence had been presented to Congress about Assad's culpability, and that Trump's military action "flew directly in the face" of the UN's plan for an independent investigation.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

In early February 2022, Gabbard suggested that "President Biden could end this crisis and prevent a war with Russia by doing something very simple: Guaranteeing that Ukraine will not become a member of NATO." Gabbard further argued that, given that the likelihood of Ukraine joining NATO was low, why did the Biden administration and NATO leaders not simply acknowledge this by providing guarantees. She expressed skepticism about the motives behind not resolving the issue, suggesting that the U.S. might want Russia to invade Ukraine to justify imposing severe economic sanctions on Russia, which she described as a "modern-day siege against Russia and the Russian people," and to perpetuate a new Cold War, benefiting defense contractors at the expense of American, Ukrainian, and Russian citizens.

On February 27, 2022, Gabbard advocated for a peaceful resolution through neutrality, stating, "It's time to put geopolitics aside and embrace the spirit of aloha, respect and love, for the Ukrainian people by coming to an agreement that Ukraine will be a neutral country …. [T]here would be no Russian or NATO troops on each other's non-Baltic borders. This would allow the Ukrainian people to live in peace."

Some lawmakers have accused Gabbard of taking foreign policy positions they saw as sympathetic to Russia, and these positions have often resulted in praise from Russian media. Yet, foreign policy analysts have found no evidence connecting Gabbard to any Russian agencies. Instead, her advocacy for improving diplomatic ties with Russia is frequently noted in foreign media.

On March 9, 2022, Gabbard, in response to a question about "unsecured bio agents, dangerous bio agents in Ukraine", said "I'm extremely concerned…. The seriousness of this situation really can't be overstated. … We have these pathogens in the midst of a war zone [in] between 20 and 30 labs in Ukraine. This is a global crisis." On March 13, she reiterated the urgency, stating that these US-funded labs could be compromised by the ongoing conflict and called for "US/Russia/Ukraine/NATO/UN/EU [to] immediately implement a ceasefire … in the vicinity of these labs until they're secured and these pathogens are destroyed." Later that day, Forbes reported "Tulsi Gabbard shared false information Sunday about U.S. involvement in Ukraine biological laboratories …. [T]here’s no evidence of the U.S. supporting biological labs in Ukraine and the U.S. has consistently denied doing so." Shortly thereafter, Mitt Romney tweeted "Tulsi Gabbard is parroting false Russian propaganda. Her treasonous lies may well cost lives." Gabbard responded to Romney, asking him to "provide evidence that what I said is untrue and treasonous. … Evidence of the existence of such biolabs, their vulnerability, and thus the need to take immediate action to secure them is beyond dispute", citing among others, Senate testimony by the State Department's Victoria Nuland, a Pentagon Fact sheet, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, and a CNN fact-check. Gabbard said that she was not convinced there are biological weapons (aka 'bioweapons') in Ukraine and had never said there were, but she was concerned about existence of biological labs in a warzone. (Bioweapons being produced in Ukraine have been debunked as disinformation by multiple media outlets, scientific groups, and international bodies.)

On March 14, Gabbard was accused of allegedly spreading "false Russian propaganda" by The View; and “actual Russian propaganda, …. Traitorous” by Rep. Adam Kinzinger On March 15, Newsweek, one day after saying "Gabbard had asserted, accurately, that the U.S. funds bio labs in Ukraine, not bio weapons labs", the same Newsweek reporter wrote in a separate article that Gabbard had "clarified her comments" and was "'deeply concerned' over claims about biological weapons in Ukraine". The Washington Post said Gabbard falsely claimed the U.S. was "trying to cover this up" and "There’s no reason to make this demand except to contribute to the conversation about the biolabs on the right. Gabbard is generating attention and engagement while she is amplifying this negative and misleading assertion about the U.S. government." On March 18, The Independent wrote "Ms Gabbbard [sp] has since 'clarified' her remarks …".

On August 30, 2024, Dana Milbank, in a Washington Post op-ed wrote: "Gabbard endorsed Russian propaganda in falsely claiming the United States was funding biological laboratories in Ukraine that could spread dangerous pathogens."

After Trump nominated Gabbard for DNI on November 13, 2024, several news organizations misrepresented what Gabbard had said in 2022. Politico and The Guardian each claimed Gabbard had accused the US of running bioweapons laboratories in Ukraine, when as indicated above, her concern was not with bioweapons but with biolabs. The Atlantic cited a writer on Russian security and intelligence for the same accusation. A reporter for NBC's Investigative Unit said Gabbard "sought to clarify" what she had said. The Wall Street Journal said "She later clarified her remarks …".

On December 4, 2024, over 100 former diplomats, national security officials and intelligence officials wrote to Senate leaders expressing alarm at Gabbard's nomination. The former officials urged closed-door confirmation hearings to allow lawmakers to carry out a full review of government information about Gabbard. The letter referenced her opinions on several foreign policy issues, including her view that Ukraine's engagement with NATO posed a threat to Russian sovereignty, and the letter accused Gabbard of insinuating that U.S.-funded labs in Ukraine were developing biological weapons . However, as indicated above, Gabbard was concerned not with bioweapons, but with "dangerous pathogens" in the labs and with calling for an immediate ceasefire around the labs until secured and pathogens destroyed.

China and Japan

During her 2020 presidential campaign, Gabbard criticized President Donald Trump's confrontational attitude towards China, instead proposing a cooperative relationship to confront global challenges such as climate change. She opposed Trump's trade war with China, calling his approach "extremely volatile" and having "ravaging and devastating effects" on both manufacturers and farmers, while expressing concern the trade war could eventually lead to a "hot war" with China. She also stated her belief that the trade war has made it more difficult to secure Chinese support over a nuclear deal with North Korea; she said America should work with China on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

In December 2023, Gabbard said that "As we remember Japan's aggression in the Pacific, we need to ask ourselves this question: is the remilitarization of Japan, which is presently underway, truly a good idea? We need to be careful that shortsighted, self-serving leaders do not end up bringing us again face-to-face with a remilitarized Japan".

Azerbaijan and Armenia

Gabbard has often expressed her support for the Armenian Christian population in the conflict with Azerbaijan. In 2017, Gabbard was part of a team of US lawmakers that visited Armenia, including the disputed, breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is also claimed by Azerbaijan; she was thus blacklisted by Azerbaijan. Later, she accused Turkey of encouraging and inciting 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, and co-signed a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressing concern over Azerbaijan's renewed aggression against Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and possible conflict with Armenia. Gabbard stated that the United States must urge Azerbaijan to immediately end their attacks, and Turkey to cease its involvement both directly and indirectly.

In 2019, Gabbard was a co-sponsor of the Armenian Genocide Resolution legislation, along with several other US senators and US representatives, to lock in official US recognition and permanent remembrance of the Armenian Genocide. While talking about the 1915 mass killings, Gabbard said, "the Ottoman Empire was attempting to cleanse itself of the Armenian and Christian populations, and the US became home to many survivors". Eventually, in 2021, despite opposition by Turkey, President Joe Biden recognized the Ottoman-era mass killings of Armenians as a genocide.

Personal life

Gabbard in 2012, pictured wearing a lei, the traditional neckwear common among Hawaiian and other Polynesian cultures

Gabbard lived in Hawaii for most of her early childhood and has been a lifelong surfer. A yoga enthusiast, she regularly practices morning yoga and meditation. She has mentioned being a vegetarian, though some sources have reported her as a vegan. According to Gabbard, she grew up with Hindu values. She follows the Vaishnava tradition of the Hindu faith, and values as her spiritual guide the Bhagavad Gita, which includes the principles of Karma and Dharma. She has also described herself as a Karma Yogi (action-oriented Yogi). She took the oath of office in 2013 with her personal copy of the Bhagavad Gita.

After moving to Washington, D.C., Gabbard lived across the Anacostia River with her sister, Vrindavan, a US marshal. She has worked on several efforts for military veterans, and also noted being inspired by President John F. Kennedy. Among other activities in D.C., Gabbard has been participating in the celebration of Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, along with members from the Indian-American community. In 2016, she supported the campaign by Hindu-Americans for a Diwali commemorative stamp in the United States, noting that the Diwali festival honors values such as righteousness "that transcend different religions, and backgrounds."

She and her family have been associated with Science of Identity Foundation (SIF), a Vaishnava Hindu and Bhakti Yoga affiliated organization. She described that SIF's leader, Mr. Butler, was like a guide and "essentially like a Vaishnava Hindu pastor" during her early years. Gabbard has often mentioned that the teachings of selfless action from the Bhagavad Gita motivated her towards social work. Later in 2014, as a Congresswoman, she also presented a copy of the Bhagavad Gita to India's prime minister Modi, on the latter's visit to the United States. Gabbard supported the efforts of PM Modi for declaration of an International Yoga Day by the United Nations.

After moving to Hawaii, Gabbard's parents had joined the circle of disciples around the founder of the SIF connected with International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and gave Hindu names to all their children. Gabbard's own name is the Sanskrit word for holy basil, regarded as an earthly manifestation of the goddess Tulasi.

At the age of 21, in 2002, Gabbard married Eduardo Tamayo. She was deployed to Iraq from 2004 to 2005, serving with the National Guard. Gabbard divorced in 2006, citing "the stresses war places on military spouses and families" as a reason for the divorce. In 2015, Gabbard married freelance cinematographer and editor Abraham Williams, a Hindu of European and Samoan ancestry and son of her Honolulu office manager, in a traditional Vedic wedding ceremony. While on Meghan McCain's podcast in 2024, Gabbard mentioned that she and Williams had tried to start a family and had undergone several in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures, without success.

Gabbard has also been a presenter at iHeartRadio Honolulu's virtual festival, Island Music Awards 2020. Having grown up in Hawaii, Gabbard has noted her lifelong appreciation for the Hawaiian culture and its Aloha spirit, which broadly refers to values such as peace, compassion, and pleasantness. She often greets others with the Aloha salutation, describing it as "I come to you with respect and with love."

Awards and honors

On November 25, 2013, Gabbard received the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award at a ceremony at the Institute of Politics at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government for her efforts on behalf of veterans. On March 20, 2014, Elle magazine honored Gabbard, with others, at the Italian Embassy in the United States during its annual "Women in Washington Power List".

On February 26, 2015, Gabbard received the National Association of Counties County Alumni Award for her "steadfast commitment to the nation's counties". On July 15, 2015, Gabbard received the Friend of the National Parks Award from the National Parks Conservation Association.

On September 30, 2018, Gabbard received the Ho'ola Na Pua Advocacy Award for "her dedication to serving and empowering human trafficking survivors in Hawaii" at their annual Pearl Gala. On October 16, 2018, Gabbard was honored as Hawai'i Pacific University's 2018 Paul T. C. Loo Distinguished Alumni.

Published works

• Gabbard, Tulsi (2024). For Love of Country: Leave the Democrat Party Behind. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 9781684514854.
• Gabbard, Tulsi (2021). Is Today the Day? (Edition-II). Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 9781455542321.
• Gabbard, Tulsi (2019). Is Today the Day?. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 9781455542314.

See also

• List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress
• List of Hindu members of the United States Congress
• Women in the United States House of Representatives

External links

• Tulsi Gabbard on the issues – TulsiGabbard.org Archived March 19, 2020, at the Wayback Machine

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Tulsi Gabbard Archived November 11, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Video produced by Makers: Women Who Make America
• Appearances on C-SPAN