The Trump administration has now lost Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and its Cabinet fixer in fairly rapid succession.
And now, according to reports, Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, is being quietly shown the same door, with the White House reportedly eyeing her departure before November.
Sherwood News reported that officials have told Gabbard they want her gone before the midterms, though the exact timing remains unclear, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.
The friction traces back to Gabbard’s congressional testimony on the Iran war, during which Trump was displeased that she did not wholeheartedly endorse the conflict. According to Axios, Trump reportedly “scolded” Gabbard in a private meeting afterward and questioned her loyalty.
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When asked publicly whether he still had confidence in her, Trump told reporters: “Yeah, sure. I mean, she’s a little bit different in her thought process than me, but that doesn’t make somebody not available to serve.”
That particular brand of faint praise has preceded several departures in this administration.
The deeper irritant was her former deputy. Joe Kent, who served under Gabbard as National Counterterrorism Center director, resigned in March, alleging that Israel had dragged the U.S. into the Iran war. Trump vented about Gabbard for shielding Kent rather than distancing herself from his remarks.
When pressed on Kent’s resignation before Capitol Hill, Gabbard declined to condemn him. That decision, sources said, deepened Trump’s doubts about her loyalty.
The only reason Gabbard still has her job, according to Axios, is Roger Stone.
Stone reportedly gave Trump four reasons to keep her: she was loyal, gave professional congressional testimony, never disputed the president publicly, and firing her would create a damaging news cycle while potentially elevating her into a 2028 presidential candidate with credibility among MAGA Iran war skeptics.
“Roger sealed the deal. He saved Tulsi,” a source told Axios. Stone confirmed on X that he had interceded: “Fortunately, I acted in time.” That intervention appears to have bought her time rather than security.
Reports also indicate that Gabbard was excluded from the Situation Room meeting where Trump approved Operation Epic Fury strikes on Iran, which is a significant signal about where she stands in the current hierarchy of trust.
Kash Patel, the FBI director currently fighting a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic over reporting that he drinks to excess and missed work repeatedly, rounds out the list of senior officials whose tenure is openly discussed in the past tense around Washington.
Featured image via YouTube screengrab
