Tulsi Gabbard is the new US director of national intelligence. Who is she?
File photos of Tulsi Gabbard (left) and Donald Trump (right).
Republican Donald Trump secured a thumping victory in the November 5 presidential election in the United States (US), and he is all set to be the head of the state for a second term. In recent days, Trump has been announcing the people who will be part of his cabinet as his administration rules the US for the next four years.
On Wednesday (Nov 13), Trump announcedhe had chosen Tulsi Gabbard, a 43-year-old former Democratic representative and critic of the Biden administration, as his director of national intelligence.
Gabbard, who left the Democratic party in 2022 to become an independent and was considered a possible candidate to become Trump's running mate, would take over from Avril Haines as the top official in the USintelligence community.
Gabbard's appointment is being seen as controversial as she has little direct experience with intelligence work and had not been widely expected to be tapped for the post.
Who is Tulsi Gabbard?
Tulsi Gabbard, 43, was born on April 12, 1981, inLeloaloa, Maʻopūtasi County, on American Samoa's main island of Tutuila. She has a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Administration from Hawaii Pacific University. She is a practising Hindu.
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Gabbard served in the armed forces. In 2003, she joined the Hawaii Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq from 2004 to 2005.
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She left the National Guard as a Major in 2017 and then went on to join the United States Army Reserve (USAR) where she was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
Gabbard's political career beganwhen she was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives at the ageof 21, making her one of the youngest legislators in Hawaiian history.
She laterserved on the Honolulu City Council before being elected to the USHouse of Representatives in 2012.
The 43-year-oldis a fierce opponent of what she calls "forever wars."
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She was once seenas the shining star of the Democrats and was the party's presidential hopeful in the 2020 election. However, in October 2022, Gabbard announced she was leaving the Democrats.
Earlier this year, Trump had shortlisted Gabbard as his vice president, along with five more names for the post.
However, JD Vance was elected Trump's running mate.