U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday acknowledged differences with his top aides over Iran, describing Tulsi Gabbard as “a little bit softer” than him on curbing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Speaking aboard Air Force One after a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump said he retained confidence in Gabbard despite their differing approaches. “But that doesn’t make somebody not available to serve,” he added, stressing his strong stance against Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Trump’s comments highlight internal debate within the administration regarding the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran, which is now entering its second month. Vice President JD Vance and other senior Republicans have reportedly expressed caution, concerned about both domestic economic and political consequences of the conflict.
While some officials warned prior to the conflict that Iran was weeks away from developing a nuclear weapon, Trump and others claimed last summer’s U.S.-Israeli campaign had destroyed Tehran’s nuclear capabilities. Iran maintains its program is for peaceful purposes.
Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, previously informed lawmakers that the U.S. intelligence community had “high confidence” regarding the location of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, though she did not publicly confirm whether the U.S. had the capability to destroy it.
Earlier this month, Joe Kent, a close associate of Gabbard, resigned over the war, stating that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States.
