President-Elect Donald Trump announced his nomination for the Director of National Intelligence; a position of immense control over the United States’ security. Tulsi Gabbard- a former democratic congresswoman will be recommended for this position. If chosen, her duty would be to oversee the implementation of National Intelligence Programs, advise the President on these matters and work closely with the rest of the government. She would manage a budget of 70 billion dollars and 18 intelligence agencies such as the CIA and FBI. When announcing the nomination, Trump wrote in a statement that “[He knows] Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community,” despite not having experience in the field. Congresswomen Abigail Spanberger said she was “appalled by the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard,” and called her “ill-prepared and unqualified.”
The nominee was born in American Samoa, was raised in Hawaii and spent much of her childhood in the Philippines. The army veteran was elected into Hawaii’s House of Representatives at 21, however, she had to leave her position when her National Guard Unit got deployed in Iraq. Later, Gabbard represented Hawaii in Congress and was the first Hindu woman to do so. She also made history as the first American Samoan female in the House. She swore into office with her hand on the Bhagavad Gita, one of the many sacred scriptures in Hinduism. In January 2019, she announced her bid for president. Amongst the numerous nominees, she was the last person of colour, veteran and millennial in the running for the white house, however, she polled poorly and fell short of qualifying for many debates. Despite previously criticizing Trump, she left the democratic party in 2022 and endorsed the Republicans earlier this year. When announcing her withdrawal, she accused the Democrats of “racializing every issue” through her X platform. Furthermore, she’s blamed the party for turning America into a “banana republic,” a term commonly used by the republicans. She went on to contribute to Fox News and create her podcast. During the final days of presidential campaigning, she was established as one of the Republican Party’s most popular celebrity supporters.
Lawmakers and public figures have accused Gabbard of echoing Russian propaganda after she posted a video to her X account about US-funded Biolabs in Ukraine that were used for research purposes. She claimed that these facilities were used to investigate deadly pathogens that “know no borders,” and could be spread worldwide. She asked for these facilities to be shut down and called for a ceasefire around these areas to ensure that the chemicals were not compromised, however, the Ukrainian and United States governments both confirmed that there was no evidence of these claims, which originally stemmed from Moscow.
Many changes will come to America during Trump’s second term. Amongst these new adjustments might be Gabbard, an army veteran with limited intelligence experience and a history of controversial remarks. People worldwide are anxiously waiting to witness the transformation of America, starting in January when Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.
Written by Suriya Rampersad
