President Trump on Friday publicly rebuked his director of national intelligence for a second time this week over her testimony earlier this year that the intelligence community did not believe Iran was building a nuclear weapon.
“What intelligence do you have that Iran is building a nuclear weapon? Your intelligence community had said they have no evidence that they are at this point,” a reporter asked Trump after he arrived in New Jersey.
“Well, then my intelligence community is wrong. Who in the intelligence community said that?” Trump responded.
When a reporter responded that it was Gabbard, Trump replied, “She’s wrong.”
Gabbard testified to Congress in March that the intelligence community assessed that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, and its supreme leader had not authorized a nuclear weapons program. She also noted that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile was “unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.”
Gabbard’s place in Trump’s orbit of top advisers has come under scrutiny in recent days, and Trump’s comments dismissing her testimony will only add fuel to the uncertainty about her role.
Trump earlier in the week similarly brushed back Gabbard’s assessment, telling reporters, “I don’t care what she said. I think they were close to having one.”
Vice President Vance and other White House officials have defended Gabbard. Vance, in a post this week on X, wrote that “a lot has changed” since Gabbard’s testimony in March. He also praised her in a statement as “a veteran, a patriot, a loyal supporter of President Trump and a critical part of the coalition he built in 2024.”
The president’s comments come as he weighs whether to get more directly involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel. Trump has been adamant that Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, though he has given a two-week window for negotiations to take place before he potentially moves forward with a direct strike.
