Trump names Hindu American Tulsi Gabbard to his cabinet as director of national intelligence
US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Hindu American Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat member of Congress, to his cabinet as the director of national intelligence.
“Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community, championing our constitutional rights, and securing peace through strength,” Trump said on Truth Social on Wednesday, announcing his pick for the post.
“For over two decades, Tulsi has fought for our country and the freedoms of all Americans,” Trump said, referring to her rank as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, serving in the Iraq War.
She quit the Democratic Party and formally joined the Republican Party this year, campaigning for Trump and urging Indian Americans to vote for him.
It was an ideological 180-degree turn, as she had previously been associated with the Democratic Party’s left wing and supported leftist senator Bernie Sanders for the presidential nomination in 2016.
She will become the second Hindu in the US cabinet, after Arati Prabhakar, the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, who now serves with President Biden.
After a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019, Gabbard said, “India is the world’s largest democracy and one of the United States’ most important partners in the Asia-Pacific region.”
“We spoke about the need to continue to work together to address the pressing issues that impact us and the world,” she said. “We discussed the situation in Kashmir, civil rights, empowering women, addressing poverty, as well as the concern about escalating tensions with Iran.”
The director of national intelligence coordinates the work of 18 intelligence agencies, and her office includes the National Counterterrorism Center, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, the National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center, the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, and the Foreign Malign Influence Center.
The director’s high-profile role involves preparing the daily intelligence briefing for the president, an overview of the global situation, and an early warning system for emerging dangers.
In the national security sector, Trump has nominated Mike Waltz, co-chair of the India Caucus in Congress, as his new national security adviser. Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio is also a supporter of India.
Gabbard is from Hawaii and of Samoan heritage on her father’s side and European on her mother’s. Her parents embraced the Hindu religion.
She became the first Hindu elected to Congress in 2004 and took the oath of office on the Bhagavad Gita.
Once a rising star of the Democratic Party, she was vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, but she resigned in 2016, accusing the party’s leadership of undemocratically promoting Hillary Clinton as the party’s presidential nominee.
She ran unsuccessfully for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, and during a candidate’s debate in 2019, she took a memorable swipe at Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing her of hypocrisy due to her record of targeting African Americans and people of color during her prosecutorial career in California.
Gabbard was reportedly one of the advisers for Trump when he prepared for his debate with Harris.
“As a former presidential candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, she has broad support in both parties,” Trump said.
While her nomination is expected to sail through the Senate with Republican support, most Democrats will likely consider her a turncoat.
Her Hindu religion has drawn attacks from some activists and American media outlets like The Intercept and Indian media like The Caravan, which have accused her of being associated with Hindu nationalists.
