Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) on Thursday predicted that President Trump will soon dismiss Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, arguing that the president has a pattern of only firing women from his Cabinet. Speaking to MeidasTouch reporter Pablo Manríquez, McBride said all of Trump’s Cabinet officials “deserve to be fired” and voiced support for an impeachment effort against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over U.S. military actions in Iran.
“But we know this president,” McBride said. “He only fires women, so my guess is Tulsi Gabbard.” Her comment comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Gabbard from both parties. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has criticized Gabbard over her presence during an FBI search of a Fulton County, Ga., elections office. Lawmakers have also raised concerns about delays in submitting a whistleblower complaint to Congress, which Warner said was held up by Republican leadership before finally being delivered in February.
The White House has pushed back against speculation that Gabbard is next to go. Communications director Steven Cheung stated that Trump has “total confidence” in Gabbard and dismissed any suggestion otherwise as “totally fake news.” That denial came earlier this month, but McBride’s prediction signals Democratic skepticism about Gabbard’s tenure.
McBride’s forecast follows a string of high-profile departures by women in Trump’s Cabinet. Former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned days ago amid allegations of using department resources for personal travel and an affair with a subordinate; she is moving to the private sector. Trump fired former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last month after Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) questioned her about a $220 million ad campaign that prominently featured her. Trump then appointed Noem as special envoy for the “Shield of the Americas,” a joint anti-cartel program with Latin American nations.
Earlier this month, Trump also fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who faced bipartisan criticism over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. To replace Noem and Bondi, Trump tapped two men: Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and acting Attorney General Todd Blance. This pattern of replacing fired women with men has fueled Democratic accusations of gender bias.
McBride is among eight Democrats co-sponsoring articles of impeachment against Hegseth, filed by Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.). The articles accuse Hegseth of war crimes, mishandling sensitive information, and overseeing what Democrats call an “unauthorized war against Iran,” which they say has recklessly endangered U.S. service members. The impeachment push adds to the political pressure on Trump’s national security team.
The broader context includes tensions with Iran, as Trump has ruled out nuclear strikes but continues military operations. Meanwhile, the administration is finalizing a Regeneron deal as part of a healthcare pricing push ahead of midterms, and the White House has charged China with industrial-scale AI theft. These developments underscore the volatile political landscape as Trump reshapes his Cabinet.
