President Donald Trump heaped praise on Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday, calling her “hotter than everybody” after she released a controversial report accusing former President Barack Obama and his administration of orchestrating a conspiracy tied to the 2016 election.
Speaking at an evening event, Trump said:
“Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi — she’s like hotter than everybody. She’s the hottest one in the room right now,”
adding that he was “very happy” with her work and expected more from her in the near future.
“Tulsi, great job — and I know you have a lot more coming.”
Trump has previously used the word “hottest” to describe popularity or media buzz, as he did during the same speech when referring to the U.S. as “the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
Gabbard’s Report Accuses Obama of Orchestrating ‘Coup’
Gabbard, who now leads the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, released a report Friday accusing top Obama-era officials of fabricating intelligence about Russian election interference in 2016. The report alleges that Obama and his team laid the groundwork for what Gabbard describes as a “treasonous conspiracy” designed to undermine Trump’s presidency.
She also issued criminal referrals to the Justice Department as part of the report’s findings, which contradict years of investigations by U.S. intelligence, congressional committees, and independent watchdogs.
According to Gabbard’s office, the Obama administration allegedly manipulated intelligence to falsely link Trump to Russian efforts, effectively launching what she called a “years-long coup.”
Report Contradicts Established Findings
Gabbard’s claims stand in direct opposition to conclusions reached by multiple investigations between 2019 and 2023. Those probes — conducted by the FBI, Justice Department, and bipartisan congressional panels — consistently found that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit Trump.
A notable 2020 report by the Senate Intelligence Committee, led at the time by Senator Marco Rubio (now Trump’s Secretary of State), concluded that the Trump campaign actively worked to “maximize the impact” of Russian-leaked Democratic documents.
Despite this, Trump has long maintained that the Russia investigations were a “hoax,” and now points to Gabbard’s report as vindication.
With the release of her findings, Gabbard is likely to face sharp scrutiny from intelligence professionals and lawmakers — but she continues to enjoy the full backing of the president.
“She’s doing what no one else had the courage to do,” Trump said Tuesday. “This is just the beginning.”
