Tulsi Gabbard Fits Right Into Trump's Vision for America

At a campaign rally in Virginia in June, Donald Trump hinted at the new kind of relationship America might have with Russia, China and North Korea if he were to be re-elected. “If you have a smart president, they’re not enemies,” Mr. Trump said. “You’ll make them do great.”

Mr. Trump has made no secret of his admiration for the governance style of dictators. He recently called Xi Jinping of China “a brilliant guy” for controlling “1.4 billion people with an iron fist.” He has signaled his sympathies with the new international order that Mr. Xi and other autocrats are seeking to create — in which to “do great” all too often means engaging in violence, transnational repression, foreign disinformation, espionage, sabotage and propaganda.

Perhaps none of Mr. Trump’s picks for his new cabinet embody this worldview better than former Representative Tulsi Gabbard, his choice for director of national intelligence. Her nomination encapsulates Mr. Trump’s apparent intent to reshape America’s global profile by cooperating with autocrats and facilitating the spread of their anti-democratic worldviews.

If democracy protection and preserving trust with foreign allies were the priorities of the Trump administration, Ms. Gabbard would not be set to appear before Congress. The director of national intelligence, who sits at the head of all American clandestine agencies, not only has access to classified materials from 18 U.S. intelligence agencies but also can decide what materials remain classified or become declassified. The director chooses what information to include in the president’s daily briefing and has a say on what should be shared with allies.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/opinion/tulsi-gabbard-trump-cabinet.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tE4.w0k8.MVtjkWOEEIuf&smid=url-share