Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard has a public life that spans unusual ground. She is the eighth director of national intelligence, a sitting lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, and a former Democratic congresswoman who became a Republican in 2024. Her native birthplace is American Samoa, and she identifies as American and American Samoan. At 45, she stands 5'8" with an average build, and her hair and eyes are brown.

Gabbard's political rise was unconventional. She was the youngest state legislator in Hawaii from 2002 to 2004, then joined the Hawaii Army National Guard in 2003. She served a combat deployment to Iraq and, after officer training, deployed to Kuwait as a military police officer. In 2012, she won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she became the first Samoan American and Hindu American in Congress. She sat on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees and introduced veteran-related bills. Her 2020 presidential run, on an anti-interventionist populist platform, ended with an endorsement of Joe Biden.

After Congress, Gabbard shifted right on issues such as border security and foreign policy. She left the Democratic Party in 2022, endorsed Donald Trump in 2024, and was confirmed as DNI in February 2025. She is the highest-ranking Pacific Islander American government official in U.S. history. She now also runs a podcast and YouTube channel. Her Instagram following reaches 1.8 million.