Tulsi Gabbard has been appointed Director of National Intelligence by President-elect Donald Trump, in a series of surprising nominations to key government positions.
“For over two decades, Tulsi has fought for our Country and Freedoms of all Americans,” Trump said in a statement. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace through Strength. Tulsi will make us all proud!”
The loyal Trump supporter has had a unique political career, having previously run against President Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic primaries. Gabbard was also elected to Hawaii’s House of Representatives at just 21 and made history as the first American Samoan and practicing Hindu to serve in Congress.
While the combat veteran’s political career has been widely covered, the family life of the now-conservative has received less focus. Read on to learn more about her personal life below.
Does Gabbard Have Children?
Gabbard does not have children. However, she underwent IVF (in vitro fertilization), a topic she discussed during an appearance on Meghan McCain’s podcast in mid-2024.
“As hard as this was for me, it was extremely hard for Abraham to watch this heartbreak over and over again,” she said, opening up about the private IVF journey she and her husband, Abraham Williams, experienced. Gabbard went on to explain that they paused the IVF process when she ran for president in 2020, and ultimately, they decided to discontinue the treatment entirely.
Who Is Gabbard’s Husband?
Abraham Williams is a part-Māori, part-Samoan filmmaker and surfer from Auckland, New Zealand. According to his IMDb page, he’s best known for his work on low-budget productions such as Decade of the Dead, Go for Broke, Angel by Thursday, and Down on the Sidewalk in Waikiki, a short poetic film about a janitor in Hawaii. His website also states he works in “diverse and challenging environments,” ranging from cities across America to war zones in the Middle East.
Before marrying Williams in 2015, Gabbard was previously married to Eduardo Tamayo from 2002 to 2006. In a 2013 interview with Vogue, Gabbard shared that she and Tamayo had been childhood sweethearts. She described their marriage as “young love,” explaining that they surfed together and were best friends. “His family was like my family,” she said.
In a personal note posted online, Gabbard revealed that she and Tamayo divorced shortly after her return from an 18-month deployment in Iraq. “Sadly, Eddie and I became another statistic, another sad story, illustrating the stresses war places on military spouses and families,” she wrote.
How Did Gabbard and Williams Meet?
Williams is said to have met Gabbard during her first run for Congress in 2012, when he volunteered to shoot campaign ads for her. The two bonded over their shared love of watersports, and about 18 months later, they began dating.
Williams proposed during a sunset surf session, with the diamond ring duct-taped to a flotation device being pulled behind them. “He paddled over, pulled out a double-tethered contraption attached to a gold duct-tape-covered flotation device with a beautiful ring attached, and said, ‘I have a question for you: Will you marry me?’” Gabbard recalled in an interview with The New York Times.
The couple, both practicing Hindus, were married in a traditional Vedic ceremony on the eastern shore of Kahaluu, Hawaii.