 "'She is wrong': Trump rejects Tulsi Gabbard's assessment on Iran's nuclear capabilities, DNI backtracks")
Cracks seemed to appear between US President Donald Trump and his US National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard over Iran's nuclear programme, compelling the latter to backtrack on her assessment. For the second time this week, Trump publicly undermined Gabbard and rejected her analysis of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
While speaking to the reporters after landing in Morristown, New Jersey, on Friday, Trump repeated his belief that Iran is building a nuclear weapon. He dismissed the testimony Gabbard gave in March this year, in which she maintained that Tehran’s nuclear development program was “not close to a bomb”. “She’s wrong,” Trump said flatly when asked about Gabbard’s assessment.
This is not the first time Trump has rejected Gabbard’s intelligence assessment. On Monday, Trump made similar remarks while speaking to a reporter on Air Force One. “I don’t care what she says,” he said when asked about Gabbard’s testimony conflicting with his assertion that Iran’s nuclear program was close to developing a bomb.
Earlier this month, a report by Politico suggested that Trump had been privately frustrated with a video of Gabbard in which she criticised the “political elite and warmongers” for “fomenting” conflict with Iran. The POTUS said that he will take two weeks to decide whether to join Israel’s military assault on Tehran’s nuclear facilities, as the tensions in West Asia continue to escalate.
Gabbard reacts
Meanwhile, Gabbard diverted her anger towards the news media after Trump rejected her assessment of Iran. Following Trump’s remarks, the DNI posted a clip of her March testimony on X, formerly known as Twitter and accused the press of distorting her remarks. “The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division,” Gabbard wrote in her post on Friday.
“America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months if it decides to finalise the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can’t happen, and I agree,” he added. The White House’s rapid response team soon came to Gabbard’s defence.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division. America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the… pic.twitter.com/mYxjpJY2ud
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) June 20, 2025
“@DNIGabbard’s testimony has consistently backed up President Trump’s position — and shame on the media for trying to twist it and misrepresent the truth. FACT: @DNIGabbard has testified that Iran has produced levels of enriched uranium that are unprecedented [sic] for a nation without nuclear weapons. FACT: If Iran decides to finalise its assembly, the weapon would be weeks away from being operational,” the response team wrote on X.
.@DNIGabbard’s testimony has consistently backed up President Trump’s position — and shame on the media for trying to twist it and misrepresent the truth.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 20, 2025
FACT: @DNIGabbard has testified that Iran has produced levels of enriched uranium that is unpredecdented for a nation…
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance also backed Gabbard earlier this week. “Tulsi is a veteran, a patriot, a loyal supporter of President Trump and a critical part of the coalition he built in 2024. She’s an essential member of our national security team, & we’re grateful for her tireless work to keep America safe from foreign threats,” the Vice President said while speaking to the News Nation.
With all this cleared up, the White House and the world will now have to wait for Trump to make the final decision on whether to strike Iran.
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