There’s a complex tapestry of international relations going on right now. As Israel faces mounting criticism over the war in Gaza, it has opened another front — attempting to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon. The question remains whether the U.S. will join them. While President Trump has previously alluded that he’ll need two weeks to think about it, he at least believes Israel’s assertion that Iran is indeed building a nuclear weapon.
The only issue now is whether Trump’s own intelligence community believes so too. The answer is more complex than a simple yes or no. When Trump stood for an interview with Fox News, the president was adamant that if his intelligence community believes Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, then the simple reason for that is that his intelligence community is wrong.
Tulsi Gabbard’s place in the Trump administration is a bit interesting. She gained national fame when she ran for president in 2020 on a Democratic ticket with a specifically non-interventionist platform. She repeatedly stated that she believes in a foreign policy of “live and let live,” which is probably one of the reasons Trump chose her as his Director of National Intelligence when she crossed the political aisle. At a certain point, Trump himself was an anti-interventionist and went on record to say that he considered the Iraq invasion during the Bush administration a big mistake.
However, Trump now sees things differently. His circle has continuously been discussing the possibility of regime change in Iran — and whether that might be what brings peace to the Middle East. It’s worth noting that Trump is doing all this maneuvering while very loudly campaigning for a Nobel Peace Prize, so Gabbard questioning him cannot be taken lightly. One user ominously commented, “the infighting continues.”
The infighting continues. pic.twitter.com/JL5W6ALkhF
— Jacob R. Adkins (@JacobRAdkins3) June 20, 2025
Sure enough, as you’d expect, Tulsi Gabbard then took to X and blamed “fake news” for trying to create division within MAGA. She posted a short clip of her testimony where she assured the public that the U.S. has credible information indicating Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a matter of weeks to months. One user commented that this is her Colin Powell moment — a reference to Powell’s infamous speech at the UN where he alleged Iraq had WMDs and that the U.S. needed to invade and enforce regime change.
Hi Tulsi,
— Jackson Hinkle
Long time no see.
This tweet will forever live on as your Colin Powell ‘Iraq has WMD’ moment.
If we go to war in Iran, this will be your legacy.
They sidelined you at Camp David, but you’re still dancing as their puppet.
Congratulations, you SOLD OUT! pic.twitter.com/V086rNBff6(@jacksonhinklle) June 20, 2025
There are definitely some fractures within the Trump camp. Elon Musk was perhaps the loudest with his complaints, but with each passing day, more stories are emerging that seem to contradict one another. The Trump administration must now navigate a complex terrain — one that risks a possible escalation in the Middle East that could backfire and echo past misjudgments, potentially tarnishing their reputations for good. Especially if a decision is made without consensus or the firm belief of everyone expected to carry out this extremely sensitive mission.
The balance between political rhetoric and intelligence integrity is at an all-time low, and the stakes could not be any higher. The Trump administration is facing growing concern and scrutiny — even from within — that they may need to back these claims up with empirical evidence, or at the very least, more political knowledge of the area than Sen. Ted Cruz.
