Here's everything you need to know about Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu in the USA's President-Elect, Donald Trump's cabinet.
Donald Trump will officially become the 47th President of the United States of America on January 20, 2025, at the inauguration ceremony. After the oath-taking ceremony, Donald Trump will enter the White House and replace Joe Biden as the country's new President. However, even before the inauguration ceremony, Donald Trump announced his cabinet, and the selection of some people has raised a lot of eyebrows.
Some of the most controversial picks in Donald Trump's cabinet are Matt Getz (Attorney General), Pete Hegseth (Defence Secretary), Robert F. Kennedy (Health Secretary) and Tulsi Gabbard (Director of National Intelligence). Of all the names in Donald Trump's cabinet for his second term as President of the United States of America, Tulsi Gabbard has created a lot of debate on the internet.
Soon after the announcement, Indian politician and Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman reacted to Tulsi Gabbard's appointment. Nirmala took to her X handle (formerly known as Twitter) and penned a long tweet in which she congratulated Tulsi and lauded her 21 years of service to the USA. An excerpt from her note can be read as:
"Congratulations @TulsiGabbard on being selected to serve as Director of National Intelligence. For 21 years, you served the USA as a soldier, becoming a Lt. Colonel in the Army Reserve."
According to several news portals, Donald Trump's decision to nominate Tulsi Gabbard's name for the esteemed Director of National Intelligence position has sparked a fresh debate on the internet. As per a report in The Times Of India, Tulsi left the Democratic Party back in 2022 amidst the severe accusations of being an 'asset of Russia'. As per so many political experts, Tulsi's sympathies toward Russia make her an inappropriate fit for the position of the US DNI.
For the uninitiated, Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu Congresswoman in Donald Trump's cabinet for the second term. The 43-year-old American politician was born on April 12, 1981, in Leloaloa to her parents, Gerald Michael Gabbard and Carol Porter Gabbard. While Gerald Michael is a practising Catholic, Carol Porter converted to Hinduism after a few years of her wedding. While growing up, Tulsi's mother, Carol Porter, discovered Hinduism and liked it so much that she decided to convert to it.
Carol Porter Gabbard's love for Hinduism can be understood by the fact that she has named all her children with Hindu words. Tulsi has four siblings named Bhakti, Vrindavan, Aryan, and Jai. From an early age, Tulsi's mother, Carol Porter, introduced her kids to the Bhagavad Gita, ISKCON, and spiritual texts related to Hinduism. An old video of Tulsi Gabbard chanting 'Hare Krishna' is also doing rounds on the internet after it was announced that she is a part of Donald Trump's cabinet.
Click here to watch the video.
After Tulsi was named to Donald Trump's cabinet, some people started speculating that she is of Indian origin due to the fact that she practices Hinduism. In 2012, Tulsi ended all speculations about her origin and clearly stated that she isn't of Indian origin. The politician took to her Twitter handle and simply wrote a line confirming that all her roots belong to America. She tweeted:
"@ronejoq @amisri I am not of Indian origin."
Tulsi Gabbard got married for the first time when she was just 21. The politician fell in love with her childhood friend, Eduardo Tamayo, and the couple got married in 2002. However, only two years after her marriage, she was posted to Iraq from 2004 to 2005, and it took a heavy toll on her personal life. Eduardo and Tulsi parted ways in 2006, and the reason behind it was the latter's posting to war zones.
After parting ways with Eduardo Tamayo, Tulsi Gabbard fell in love with a filmmaker named Abraham Williams. The couple met when Abraham was Tulsi's campaign photographer, as she was an active member of the Democratic Party in 2012. After a series of meetings, Abraham popped the question to Tulsi while surfing, which impressed her. She accepted the proposal, and the couple married in 2015 at a traditional Vedic ceremony. The couple is leading a happy life as Tulsi will soon start a brand new chapter in her professional life under the leadership of Donald Trump.
What are your thoughts on Donald Trump's decision to make Tulsi Gabbard a part of his cabinet for the second term? Let us know.
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