Roger Stone, the longtime Trump confidant, stepped in last week to persuade the president against firing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, according to sources with knowledge of internal White House dynamics.
Trump had grown frustrated with Gabbard after her recent congressional testimony on Iran threats, which the president felt lacked sufficient hawkishness. The frustration intensified when her former counterterrorism director, Joe Kent, resigned dramatically the day before her testimony, undermining the administration's messaging on Iranian dangers.
In a private meeting following Kent's departure, Trump scolded Gabbard and questioned her loyalty, according to two people familiar with the exchange. Other advisers characterized the president's tone differently, describing it as sarcastic but not genuinely angry.
Trump then canvassed his team for opinions on whether to remove Gabbard, questioning both her congressional performance and overall job fitness. While her Cabinet peers defended her, the decisive intervention came from Stone.
When the president called Stone last week seeking his counsel, the 73-year-old political operative made a forceful case for retention. "Roger sealed the deal. He saved Tulsi," one source told Axios. Stone confirmed on X that he acted on Gabbard's behalf, posting "Fortunately, I acted in time."
Stone, who has advised Trump since 1979, presented four specific arguments against firing Gabbard. First, she had demonstrated loyalty and maintained professional decorum in her congressional testimony without contradicting the president. Second, she would not resign voluntarily like Kent, making a proactive firing unnecessary and petty. Third, terminating her would create negative press coverage and potentially cast her as a martyr to Trump's base, particularly those skeptical of military interventionism. Fourth and most strategically, a fired Gabbard gaining sympathy among MAGA dissenters could emerge as a credible 2028 presidential candidate, potentially complicating Vice President Vance's path in early primary contests like New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Gabbard's position proved divisive within Trump's inner circle. Laura Loomer, an influential Trump adviser and longtime Gabbard critic, launched a public assault on the intelligence chief. Loomer posted on X that Gabbard was finished and claimed the White House offered her a resignation option. Loomer warned that if Gabbard departed, she would leverage her exit to launch a presidential bid.
A Gabbard ally flatly rejected those claims, calling them
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