President Donald Trump has reportedly soured on his national intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard, and CNN's Zach Cohen reported on the back story to their apparent falling out.
The president publicly disputed her position on Iran's nuclear capability as he weighs the possibility of joining Israel's military action against the Middle Eastern nation, but Cohen told "CNN News Central" that Trump has been disenchanted with the former Democratic congresswoman and failed 2020 presidential contender for some time.
"These frustrations have been simmering beneath the surface, according to our sources, for a couple of weeks now," Cohen reported. "But Trump's comments on Air Force One this week have really raised serious questions about Tulsi Gabbard's standing within the administration at a time when a president would typically lean on his top intelligence official as a key advisor and source of expertise on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. Look, that does not appear, according to multiple sources, to be the case with Gabbard. She has sort of found herself on the outside looking in, as Trump has sort of leaned more heavily into a smaller group of more experienced officials, top officials like CIA director John Ratcliffe, secretary of state Marco Rubio and vice president JD Vance."
"But look, the shift in tone is notable in part because sources describe Trump's frustration as being rooted in the fact that he believes she's been, quote, 'off message' on the conflict in the Middle East, and as one senior White House adviser put it, that is something that rubs Trump the wrong way," Cohen added. "This adviser said, quote, 'when the president thinks you are off message, he doesn't want you in the room.' So it's hard to provide advice and intelligence briefings when you're not in the room."
Trump's irritation spiked earlier this month when Gabbard posted a three-minute video on social media warning the world was perilously close to "nuclear annihilation," which the president perceived as a criticism of his consideration of allowing Israel to attack Iran.
"He clearly interpreted that as something that did not align with his own intentions, hence the off-base sort of messaging from these White House advisers," Cohen reported.
A spokesperson for Gabbard insisted there was no daylight between her and the president, and Cohen said she appeared to be safe for now.
"This spokesperson went on to say that the director remains focused on her mission, providing accurate and actionable intelligence to the president, cleaning up the 'deep state,' and keeping the American people secure, safe and free," Cohen reported. "Ultimately, Tulsi Gabbard does not appear to be in jeopardy of getting fired at this moment, but ,as we know, things can change quickly in the Trump administration."
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