Former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s surprise return to the White House is fueling speculation that she could be under consideration for another role in President Donald Trump’s administration.
Gabbard was spotted entering the White House complex Monday afternoon, several months after stepping down as Trump’s intelligence chief. NewsNation correspondent Hannah Brandt encountered Gabbard as she walked toward the Executive Office Building and asked what had brought her back to the White House. “I’m gonna say hi to some old friends,” Gabbard responded.
She did not elaborate on whom she planned to meet or whether the visit involved administration business. The brief encounter quickly generated speculation online because Trump has yet to permanently fill one of the White House’s most visible vacancies: press secretary.
Conservative commentator Benny Johnson posted video of Gabbard’s arrival and openly wondered whether she could be a candidate. “Former DNI Tulsi Gabbard was just spotted walking into The White House,” Johnson wrote. “Could she be Trump’s next Press Secretary?”
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
Neither Gabbard nor the White House has said she visited to discuss the press secretary position. There also has been no confirmation that Gabbard met with Trump, interviewed for a job or is formally under consideration to return to the administration.
The speculation comes as Trump continues searching for a permanent replacement for former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Leavitt left the administration in August after returning from maternity leave following the birth of her second child. Trump praised Leavitt when announcing her departure and said she would remain an outside adviser while also helping Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections.
Her exit created a high-profile vacancy at the center of the administration’s communications operation. Trump has so far declined to name a permanent successor. Instead, the White House has experimented with having senior administration officials and Cabinet members take turns addressing reporters from the briefing-room podium.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are among the administration officials who have appeared in the briefing room.
Trump said last month that numerous people were interested in replacing Leavitt and suggested he may have developed a preference, but he declined to identify that person. “Ultimately I’ll pick somebody,” Trump told reporters at the time.
