Trump polled advisers about replacing Tulsi Gabbard as intelligence chief

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · Apr 02, 2026 · 755 words · By Hugo Lowell; Cate Brown

Personnel Changes National Security Political Tensions

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What to know about Personnel Changes

Donald Trump has privately asked cabinet officials in recent weeks whether he should replace his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, venting frustration that she shielded a former deputy who undercut his rationale for war with Iran, according to…

Claims checked 18

Techniques found 0

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left17%

Center66%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

It is not clear that Trump will actually fire Gabbard over the episode.

Common ground

Currently, there is no standout candidate to take the job, and advisers have cautioned that creating a high-profile vacancy before a successor is ready could cause unhelpful political distractions.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Personnel Changes story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The nature of Kent’s departure and his criticism of the war had already angered Trump, but he expressed particular frustration about Gabbard seemingly defending Kent and appearing reluctant to defend the administration’s position to attack Iran?
How does this story connect Personnel Changes with National Security over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/02/trump-tulsi-gabbard-intelligence…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 18 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

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verified Verified By Reference 3

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Claim 1: “The nature of Kent’s departure and his criticism of the war had already angered Trump, but he expressed particular frustration about Gabbard seemingly defending Kent and appearing reluctant to defend the administration’s position to attack Iran.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in Wikipedia or other sources to support claims about Trump's frustration with Gabbard's stance on Iran.

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Claim 2: “In a statement, White House spokesperson Steven Cheung defended Gabbard’s tenure.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in Wikipedia or other sources to support claims about a White House spokesperson defending Gabbard.

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Claim 3: “Her testimony also represented remarks that had been workshopped with the CIA in advance of the hearings, according to a person familiar with the matter.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “Gabbard then became the target of White House officials’ ire after she revoked the security clearances of 37 people, including congressional aides, before the West Wing had checked whether they could do so.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “Asked on Sunday whether he still had confidence in Gabbard’s leadership, Trump offered a mixed endorsement.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in Wikipedia or other sources to confirm or refute claims about Trump's mixed endorsement of Gabbard.

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Claim 6: “Donald Trump has privately asked cabinet officials in recent weeks whether he should replace his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries only describe Tulsi Gabbard's role as DNI since 2025 and Trump's cabinet structure, but do not mention any discussions about replacing her. No independent sources corroborate the claim.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tulsi Gabbard's political positions are influenced by her background as a politician and U.S. military officer. Gabbard served in the United States Congress from 2013 to 2021. She has been serving in …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Tulsi_G…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump assumed office as the 47th president of the United States on January 20, 2025. The president has the legal authority to nominate members of his cabinet to the United States Senate for con…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_cabinet_of_Donald_Trump

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tulsi Gabbard (; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician and U.S. military officer serving as the eighth director of national intelligence (DNI) since 2025. She previously served as U.S. repres…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsi_Gabbard

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Claim 7: “Currently, there is no standout candidate to take the job, and advisers have cautioned that creating a high-profile vacancy before a successor is ready could cause unhelpful political distractions.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in Wikipedia or other sources to support claims about lack of candidates or political risks of vacancies.

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Claim 8: “Trump’s doubts about Gabbard followed her testimony at the world wide threats hearing on Capitol Hill last month where she declined to condemn Joe Kent.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 9: “In his second term, Trump has been averse to firing anyone outright, and has often ended up moving officials that he thinks could become a liability to other roles.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in Wikipedia or other sources to confirm or refute claims about Trump's pattern of reassignment over firing.

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Claim 10: “Weeks later, Trump publicly contradicted Gabbard after she testified to lawmakers that Iran had not decided to build a nuclear bomb. “She’s wrong,” Trump told reporters, before authorizing strikes on Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “As early as last June, Trump became irritated by a video Gabbard recorded warning about the horrors of nuclear war after a visit to Hiroshima.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 12: “She has won favor with Trump in other moments, including for producing an official report asserting that Russia had not sought to boost Trump’s campaign in 2016 at the expense of Hillary Clinton – a conclusion not shared by congressional investigations at the time.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 13: “Gabbard’s testimony that frustrated Trump, for instance, was in line with her longstanding criticism of the US becoming entangled in foreign wars.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 14: “Gabbard has also quickly racked up a list of perceived transgressions, current and former officials said.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “Most recently, he demoted Kristi Noem from homeland security secretary to a lesser role as an envoy within the state department.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in Wikipedia or other sources to support claims about Kristi Noem's demotion.

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Claim 16: “It is not clear that Trump will actually fire Gabbard over the episode.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries about Trump's 2024 campaign and cabinet do not address uncertainty about firing Gabbard. No direct evidence supports or contradicts the claim.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Former president Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican nominee for President of the United States, considered several prominent Republicans and other individuals before selecting Senator JD Vance of Ohio …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Republican_Party_vice_pre…

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Claim 17: “Trump’s discussions marks an ominous development for Gabbard, given the president tends to poll his advisers when he starts to seriously consider whether a personnel change is necessary.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries about Trump's cabinet and Gabbard's political positions do not mention consultation patterns or implications for her role.

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Claim 18: “In the fallout, Gabbard’s allies accused the CIA of trying to manufacture a pretext to bring about her ouster, until the White House mediated a truce.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.