President Donald Trump was on the brink of firing Tulsi Gabbard, director of National Intelligence. But then Roger Stone, one of his longtime allies, intervened, according to a new report.
The president had grown frustrated with Gabbard after her March 18 congressional testimony, during which she stopped short of fully endorsing war with Iran, sources told Axios.
A day earlier, Joe Kent — Gabbard’s counterterrorism director and former chief of staff — resigned from his post in opposition to the war and claimed Trump had been duped into launching the attacks.
Soon afterwards, Trump “scolded” Gabbard and raised doubts about her loyalty, two sources said. Others downplayed his remarks, describing them as friendly and sarcastic.
Trump subsequently began asking his advisers whether he should replace Gabbard, The Guardian reported.
Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran and former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, had previously spoken out forcefully against U.S. military intervention abroad. When she ran for president in 2020, her campaign sold “No War With Iran” t-shirts.
When polled by Trump, Cabinet officials were supportive of the director of national intelligence, but it was Stone — a longtime GOP strategist and close friend of Trump — who tipped the balance.
“Roger sealed the deal. He saved Tulsi," a source told Axios. Stone reportedly gave Trump four reasons to keep Gabbard in the role including that she was loyal, had no intention of resigning and that firing her would trigger a media firestorm.
In the past six weeks, Trump has fired two Cabinet officials: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Stone, who began his political career working on Richard Nixon’s campaign, declined to comment when reached by Axios. But in a Thursday post on X, he confirmed he had stepped in on Gabbard’s behalf. “Fortunately, I acted in time,” he wrote.
Stone said that Laura Loomer, a far‑right political activist with close ties to the president, had tried to persuade Trump that Gabbard was on the verge of resigning, in an apparent effort to get her “preemptively” fired.
Stone and Loomer have since engaged in an expletive-laden, back-and-forth squabble on social media.
“The only reason she wasn’t fired is because of the way it would look ahead of the midterms,” Loomer wrote on X. She described Gabbard’s behavior as “despicable,” claiming she refused to “condemn Joe Kent’s lies and his efforts to smear President Trump.”
“Of course Roger is going to protect Tulsi if he has a financial interest to do so if he’s running her 2028 Presidential campaign or advising on it,” Loomer added.
Stone responded that he has no financial ties to Gabbard and that he would likely support Vice President JD Vance in 2028.
“You can't stand the fact that I beat your ass,” Stone wrote to Loomer.
Spokespeople for the Trump administration dismissed the apparent internal discord surrounding Gabbard.
A National Intelligence spokesperson told Axios that Gabbard "remains committed to fulfilling the responsibilities the President placed in her.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump “believes Tulsi Gabbard is doing an excellent job on behalf of the administration.”
The White House referred The Independent to Leavitt’s statement. The Independent has contacted Gabbard.
The spat between Stone and Loomer reflects a broader divide among high‑profile members of the MAGA coalition over the Iran war.
A number of influential right-wing media figures — including Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Alex Jones — have publicly spoken out against the conflict. Carlson called it “disgusting and evil” and implored U.S. officials to thwart attempts by Trump to launch large-scale attacks that would harm Iranian civilians.
Loomer, meanwhile, has urged Trump to ramp up his attacks, calling for him to wipe out the Iranian regime. Other right-wing personalities, including Fox News’ Sean Hannity and Ben Shapiro, have stood in support of the war.
Recent polls show most Americans are opposed to the Middle East conflict. According to a YouGov survey released earlier this week, 53 percent of Americans are against the Iran war, while 34 percent are in favor of it.
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