President Donald Trump publicly dismissed his own Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, on Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
The bold rebuke came during an early morning Air Force One gaggle on Tuesday, as Trump headed back to Washington.
When pressed by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins about Iran’s nuclear progress, Trump dropped the hammer:
“Very close,” Trump responded confidently.
Collins pushed back, citing Gabbard’s March testimony to the House Intelligence Committee, in which she claimed Iran had not resumed its nuclear weapons program.
It can be recalled that during Gabbard’s opening statement, she said:
“Iran’s cyber operations and capabilities also present a serious threat to U.S. networks and data. The IC continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme leader Khomeini has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003. We continue to monitor closely if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program.”
But Trump wasn’t having any of it.
“I don’t care what she said,” he fired back. “I think they were very close to having one.”
Watch:
CNN: You’ve always said you don’t believe Iran should have a nuke. Tulsi Gabbard testified in March that Iran wasn’t building a nuclear weapon.
Trump: I don’t care what she said. They were very close to getting a nuke. pic.twitter.com/YJKMGNlvlz
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 17, 2025
Axios confirmed that earlier this month, President Trump led a series of intense, high-level national security meetings at Camp David focused on Iran and the Gaza conflict.
Attendees included some of the fiercest foreign policy hawks in the administration:
- Vice President J.D. Vance
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio
- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
- Chief of Staff Susie Wiles
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe
- Special Envoy Steve Witkoff
Notably absent? Tulsi Gabbard.
A correction from Axios noted that Gabbard was not present during the Camp David sessions.
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