Is Tulsi Gabbard, First US Hindu Lawmaker Appointed As Intelligence Director In Trump 2.0 Of Indian Origin?

New Delhi: Former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, picked by US President-elect Donald Trump as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) is not of Indian origin as her name suggests. She will be the first Hindu Congresswoman who will sit atop the US spy agencies and will act as Trump’s intelligence advisor.

Tulsi Gabbard, often mistaken for having Indian roots because of her first name, has no direct links with India. Her mother, converted to Hinduism, gave her children Hindu names, and Gabbard herself identifies as Hindu. She made history as the first Hindu member of the US Congress. Of American Samoan descent, Gabbard took her congressional oath with her hand on the Bhagavad Gita.

On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said that Tpiulsi Gabbard is a “proud Republican” who can bring her “fearless spirit” into the intelligence community. “As a former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, she has broad support in both parties. She is now a proud Republican!” he added.

Expressing gratitude for selecting her for the role, Gabbard on her official X handle said, “Thank you, Donald Trump, for the opportunity to serve as a member of your cabinet to defend the safety, security, and freedom of the American people. I look forward to getting to work.”

Lacking any experience in intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard is a veteran who has served in the US military for over two decades. She broke her ties with the Democratic Party in 2022 and backed Trump earlier this year, a move that has resonated with Trump supporters.

In August this year, Gabbard, during an interview with Fox News, claimed that the Biden administration had put her under a “secret terror watchlist” on July 23. She further said that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has placed her on a Quiet Skies Program watchlist “without giving any explanation.”

“I was subjected to very in-depth screening when I travel. By in-depth, I mean 30 to 45 minutes of going through that screening every time I would go to the airport to fly,” she said in the interview. On September 4, Tulsi Gabbard posted a video on her official X handle, explaining how she learnt of her placement on a watchlist.

She claimed that on August 4, federal air marshal whistleblowers informed her she had been added to a “secret terror watchlist run by the TSA called Quiet Skies” on July 23.

In 2020, Gabbard made an attempt to secure a Democratic presidential nomination against Kamala Harris, accusing the party of not standing against the wars. However, she dropped her name from the race and eventually left the party in 2022, saying that it was controlled by an “elitist cabal of warmongers” and “woke” ideologues.

After switching over to the Republican Party in 2022, Gabbard supported Trump for the presidency and helped him in preparations for the presidential debate against Kamala Harris.

Gabbard has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, with deployments to Iraq and Kuwait. In 2005, she was awarded a Combat Medical Badge for her role in “combat operations under enemy hostile fire in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III,” according to the Hawaii National Guard.

Unlike her predecessors, Gabbard has not held senior government roles, though she spent two years on the House Homeland Security Committee. The current director, Avril Haines, entered the role after years in top national security and intelligence positions, becoming the first woman to hold the office.