Tulsi Gabbard accused the media of trying to divide her and President Trump after he appeared to contradict her assessment of Iran's nuclear capabilities.
“President Trump was saying the same thing that I said," Gabbard, who is Trump's intelligence director, said. "We are on the same page."
While speaking with reporters on Air Force One, Trump was asked by CNN's Kaitlan Collins to comment on Gabbard's March testimony that Iran is not actively building a nuclear weapon.
Trump's response created waves. “I don’t care what she said,” Trump replied. “I think they were very close to having one.”
The White House says Gabbard was taken out of context in her testimony, which noted that Iran's enriched uranium stockpile is "unprecedented" for a country that has no nukes.
“In the past year, we’ve seen an erosion of a decades-long taboo in Iran on discussing nuclear weapons in public, likely emboldening nuclear weapons advocates within Iran’s decision-making apparatus. Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons," Gabbard said.
While Gabbard's comments may have been twisted, a divide has become apparent between non-interventionists in the MAGA movement, such as Tucker Carlson, and hawks who want the U.S. to support Israel in its conflict with Iran.
The war erupted last week when Israel carried out what it described as pre-emptive strikes to stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. Trump has faced criticism from some on the right for warming up to an intervention, but Trump has pointed out that he has always opposed letting Iran develop a nuclear weapon.
Gabbard, an Iraq War vet, is one of the most prominent non-interventionist voices in the Trump White House. She has frequently cited the notoriously misleading intelligence about weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Iraq as a cautionary tale about foreign intervention.
Days before Israel's attack on Iran, Gabbard shared an ominous video about "warmongers" leading the U.S. toward nuclear apocalypse.
"We are closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before," she said in the clip.
Members of the Trump administration, including Vice President J.D. Vance, have defended Gabbard, rejecting the notion of a rift between her and Trump.
"Tulsi Gabbard is a veteran, a patriot, a loyal supporter of President Trump, and a critical part of the coalition he built in 2024," Vance wrote.
"She's an essential member of our national security team, and we're grateful for her tireless work to keep America safe from foreign threats."
