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Tulsi Gabbard
Tulsi Gabbard (/ˈtʌlsi ˈɡæbərd/; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician and military officer serving since 2025 as the eighth director of national intelligence (DNI). She has held the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve since 2021, and previously served as U.S. representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021. A former Democrat, she became an independent in 2022 and later joined the Republican Party in 2024. Gabbard was the youngest state legislator in Hawaii from 2002 to 2004.
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 a medical unit, and received the Combat Medical Badge. In 2007, Gabbard completed the officer training program at the Alabama Military Academy. She went to Kuwait in 2008 as an Army Military Police officer. In 2015, while also serving in Congress, Gabbard became a major with the Hawaii Army National Guard. In 2020, she transferred to the U.S. Army Reserve and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2021.
In 2012, Gabbard was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district, succeeding Mazie Hirono, who was elected in the 2012 Senate election. She became the first Samoan American and Hindu American member of U.S. Congress. During her tenure in Congress, she served on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She supported the military campaign to defeat Islamic extremism but opposed the U.S. intervention in the Syrian civil war. In her fourth term, Gabbard also served on the HASC Subcommittee on Intelligence, which oversaw military intelligence and counterterrorism.
Gabbard launched her 2020 presidential campaign running on an anti-interventionist and populist platform, but dropped out and endorsed Joe Biden in March 2020. Previously, she also served as vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2013 to 2016 but resigned to endorse Bernie Sanders for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. After her departure from Congress in 2021, Gabbard took more conservative positions on issues such as transgender rights, border security, and foreign policy. In 2022, she spoke at the conservative CPAC conference and left the Democratic Party.
In 2024, Gabbard endorsed Donald Trump for the presidential election and joined the Republican Party later that year. After Trump nominated Gabbard for DNI, her past statements on Syria and the Russian invasion of Ukraine drew scrutiny and concern. Many veterans and Republicans defended Gabbard's record, noting her military service and Congressional experience. In February 2025, she was confirmed by the Senate, becoming the highest-ranking Pacific Islander American government official in U.S. history.
Gabbard was born on April 12, 1981, in Leloaloa on American Samoa's main island of Tutuila. She is the fourth of five children born to G. Michael (Mike) Gabbard and his wife Carol (née Porter). In 1983, when she was two years old, her family moved back to Hawaii, where they had lived in the late 1970s. Her mother was born in Indiana and grew up in Michigan, and her father, who is of Samoan and European ancestry, was born in American Samoa; he grew up in Hawaii and Florida. Her name is derived from the word tulasi (tulsi), an herb.
Gabbard grew up in Honolulu. During her early years, Gabbard's parents owned a vegetarian restaurant, The Natural Deli in Moiliili, Hawaii, a neighbood of Honolulu. Gabbard participated in surfing, martial arts, and yoga as a child. She was mostly home schooled except for two years at a girls' school in the Philippines. Gabbard learned spiritual principles like karma, from the ancient Indian text Bhagavad Gita. As a teenager, she adopted 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. Around 2001, Gabbard's father got active in local politics and was elected to the Honolulu City Council. She was also associated with her father's The Alliance for Traditional Marriage and Values, an anti-gay marriage political action committee. Gabbard briefly worked as an educator with the Healthy Hawai'i Coalition, which promoted protection of Hawaii's natural environment. She also worked as a self-employed martial arts instructor.
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Tulsi Gabbard
Tulsi Gabbard (/ˈtʌlsi ˈɡæbərd/; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician and military officer serving since 2025 as the eighth director of national intelligence (DNI). She has held the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve since 2021, and previously served as U.S. representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021. A former Democrat, she became an independent in 2022 and later joined the Republican Party in 2024. Gabbard was the youngest state legislator in Hawaii from 2002 to 2004.
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 a medical unit, and received the Combat Medical Badge. In 2007, Gabbard completed the officer training program at the Alabama Military Academy. She went to Kuwait in 2008 as an Army Military Police officer. In 2015, while also serving in Congress, Gabbard became a major with the Hawaii Army National Guard. In 2020, she transferred to the U.S. Army Reserve and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2021.
In 2012, Gabbard was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district, succeeding Mazie Hirono, who was elected in the 2012 Senate election. She became the first Samoan American and Hindu American member of U.S. Congress. During her tenure in Congress, she served on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She supported the military campaign to defeat Islamic extremism but opposed the U.S. intervention in the Syrian civil war. In her fourth term, Gabbard also served on the HASC Subcommittee on Intelligence, which oversaw military intelligence and counterterrorism.
Gabbard launched her 2020 presidential campaign running on an anti-interventionist and populist platform, but dropped out and endorsed Joe Biden in March 2020. Previously, she also served as vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2013 to 2016 but resigned to endorse Bernie Sanders for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. After her departure from Congress in 2021, Gabbard took more conservative positions on issues such as transgender rights, border security, and foreign policy. In 2022, she spoke at the conservative CPAC conference and left the Democratic Party.
In 2024, Gabbard endorsed Donald Trump for the presidential election and joined the Republican Party later that year. After Trump nominated Gabbard for DNI, her past statements on Syria and the Russian invasion of Ukraine drew scrutiny and concern. Many veterans and Republicans defended Gabbard's record, noting her military service and Congressional experience. In February 2025, she was confirmed by the Senate, becoming the highest-ranking Pacific Islander American government official in U.S. history.
Gabbard was born on April 12, 1981, in Leloaloa on American Samoa's main island of Tutuila. She is the fourth of five children born to G. Michael (Mike) Gabbard and his wife Carol (née Porter). In 1983, when she was two years old, her family moved back to Hawaii, where they had lived in the late 1970s. Her mother was born in Indiana and grew up in Michigan, and her father, who is of Samoan and European ancestry, was born in American Samoa; he grew up in Hawaii and Florida. Her name is derived from the word tulasi (tulsi), an herb.
Gabbard grew up in Honolulu. During her early years, Gabbard's parents owned a vegetarian restaurant, The Natural Deli in Moiliili, Hawaii, a neighbood of Honolulu. Gabbard participated in surfing, martial arts, and yoga as a child. She was mostly home schooled except for two years at a girls' school in the Philippines. Gabbard learned spiritual principles like karma, from the ancient Indian text Bhagavad Gita. As a teenager, she adopted 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. Around 2001, Gabbard's father got active in local politics and was elected to the Honolulu City Council. She was also associated with her father's The Alliance for Traditional Marriage and Values, an anti-gay marriage political action committee. Gabbard briefly worked as an educator with the Healthy Hawai'i Coalition, which promoted protection of Hawaii's natural environment. She also worked as a self-employed martial arts instructor.