Former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was spotted heading into the White House earlier this week, and since then there has been a great deal of speculation about her potentially taking on a new role within the Trump administration.
Gabbard, who stepped down as President Donald Trump’s intelligence chief earlier this year after revealing that her husband was battling a rare form of cancer, was filmed entering the White House complex Monday afternoon.
NewsNation correspondent Hannah Brandt captured Gabbard walking toward the Executive Office Building and asked the former Hawaii congresswoman what had brought her back.
“I’m gonna say hi to some old friends,” Gabbard replied.
The brief exchange quickly spread across social media, where conservative commentator Benny Johnson raised the possibility that Gabbard could be under consideration for an entirely different administration job: White House press secretary.
“Former DNI Tulsi Gabbard was just spotted walking into The White House,” Johnson wrote on X. “Could she be Trump’s next Press Secretary?”
Neither Gabbard nor the White House has said her visit involved the vacant position, and there has been no confirmation that she met with Trump or interviewed for a new administration role.
Still, the timing attracted attention because Trump has yet to announce a permanent replacement for former press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Leavitt announced in August that she was leaving the White House after returning from maternity leave following the birth of her second child.
Former DNI Tulsi Gabbard was just spotted walking into The White House.
Could she be Trump’s next Press Secretary? pic.twitter.com/Tnaw3TQPOM
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 28, 2026
Trump praised Leavitt when announcing her departure and said she would remain one of his top outside advisers while helping Republicans during the midterm elections.
Her departure left one of the administration’s most visible positions vacant just months before the November elections.
Trump had not settled on a successor as Leavitt prepared to leave, administration officials told CBS News in August.
Instead of immediately installing another press secretary, the administration has relied partly on Cabinet officials and other senior figures to communicate its agenda.
During Leavitt’s maternity leave, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were among the administration officials who appeared in the White House briefing room.
Several names have circulated as possible successors.
Among those publicly discussed have been White House communications director Steven Cheung, former Trump attorney Alina Habba and other prominent Trump allies.
Johnson himself previously floated Habba for the position, telling her during an interview that her name had come up in discussions about the job.
“We are not telepathic, so we don’t know what the president’s thinking,” Johnson told Habba before asking whether she would be willing to serve as press secretary.
Gabbard would be an unconventional choice but already has extensive experience dealing with the national media.
She represented Hawaii in Congress as a Democrat from 2013 until 2021 and sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
Gabbard later left the Democratic Party, endorsed Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign and formally joined the Republican Party.
Trump subsequently selected her to become director of national intelligence, placing the former Army National Guard officer in charge of coordinating the country’s intelligence community.
Gabbard resigned as DNI this year, with her departure taking effect June 30.
She also has experience inside the White House briefing room.
While serving as intelligence director, Gabbard appeared alongside Leavitt at a July 2025 White House press briefing, where she discussed intelligence matters and answered reporters’ questions.
Gabbard gave no indication that she was there to discuss the press secretary position.
The White House likewise has not announced that Gabbard is a candidate for the job or that Trump has made a decision about Leavitt’s permanent successor.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
