Tulsi Gabbard resigned Friday as President Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, stepping away from one of the most senior positions in the US government to care for her husband, Abraham Williams, who has been diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.
The resignation brought renewed attention to Gabbard’s personal life, including questions many have had about her family and whether she has children.
Does Tulsi Gabbard Have Children?
Tulsi Gabbard does not have children. She has spoken openly about the painful journey she and her husband went through while trying to start a family, including multiple rounds of IVF, or in vitro fertilization.
In a 2024 appearance on Meghan McCain’s podcast, Gabbard opened up about how emotionally grueling the process was for both of them.
“As hard as this was for me, it was extremely hard for Abraham to watch this heartbreak over and over again,” she said.
Gabbard also shared that the couple paused IVF treatment during her 2020 presidential campaign and ultimately decided not to continue afterward.
Who Is Abraham Williams?
Abraham Williams is a Hawaii-based cinematographer, Steadicam operator, photographer and video producer. His professional work spans a wide range, from feature films and documentaries to commercials, music videos and short films.
Of Māori and Samoan descent, Williams first crossed paths with Gabbard around 2012 when he volunteered as a photographer and videographer during her congressional campaign. The two married on April 9, 2015, in a traditional Vedic Hindu ceremony held in Hawaii.
What Gabbard Said in Her Resignation Letter
Gabbard’s resignation letter was deeply personal. She thanked Trump for the opportunity to lead the intelligence community over the past year and a half before explaining the reason she felt she had no choice but to leave.
“My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer,” she wrote, adding that he “faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months.”
She described Williams as the steady force behind her through some of the most demanding chapters of her life. “Abraham has been my rock throughout our eleven years of marriage, standing steadfast through my deployment to East Africa on a Joint Special Operations mission, multiple political campaigns and now my service in this role.”
“His strength and love have sustained me through every challenge,” she continued. “I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming position.”
How Trump Responded
Trump confirmed Gabbard’s departure, saying her last day would be at the end of June. He praised her work in the role and expressed sympathy for the situation she and her husband are facing.
“Her wonderful husband, Abraham, has been recently diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, and she, rightfully, wants to be with him,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He added that Aaron Lukas, the principal deputy director of national intelligence, would step in as acting director following Gabbard’s departure. “Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her,” Trump said.
A Difficult Chapter Ahead
For Gabbard, Friday’s resignation marks the end of a remarkable run in public service that took her from the Hawaii state legislature to Congress, a presidential campaign and ultimately to the top of the US intelligence apparatus.
What comes next is far more private. After years in the public eye, she is stepping back to focus on the person she describes as her greatest source of strength, at the moment he needs her most.