Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, submitted her resignation to President Donald Trump on Friday. The New York Times reported Gabbard wrote in her resignation letter that she was stepping down to support her husband who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Traders are speculating who will take her place in President Trump's cabinet.
The market for President Trump's next director of national intelligence lists intelligence official and acting director Aaron Lukas at a price of 29%, followed by Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board Devin Nunes at 17% and U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik at 13%.
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Aaron Lukas
Gabbard's deputy director will take over the role in an acting capacity.
The Washington Examiner reported that Lukas "served the intelligence community for more than two decades, including as a former CIA chief of station." He also served as chief of staff to the director of national intelligence.
President Trump first announced his plans to nominate Lukas as his deputy director of national intelligence in March of 2025. He appeared before the Senate at his confirmation hearing, where he was quizzed on his participation in Signal group chats that allegedly discussed war plans when Atlantic reporter Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to the chat. The Senate approved his confirmation by a vote of 51-46.
Devin Nunes
NPR reported that Nunes started his political career at the age of 29 under the guidance of former Rep. Bill Thomas who chaired the House Ways and Means Committee. He eventually earned a seat on the powerful committee and formed a strong political alliance with former Reps. Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan.
The former U.S. representative served as the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee from 2015 to 2019, and rose to prominence during the U.S. House's investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of emails on a private server.
He stumped for Trump's first presidential campaign in 2016, attending fundraisers and rallies across the country. He left Congress in 2021 to work for Trump Media as its CEO. The New York Times reported he stepped down after the social media company "consistently lost money and struggled with a flagging share price."
Elise Stefanik
The Hill reported that Sen. Jim Banks has already floated Stefanik's name as President Trump's new director of national intelligence, calling her "a great replacement for Tulsi" on X.
Stefanik currently represents New York's 21st district in her sixth term in Congress. She also serves as chair of the House Republican Conference.
President Trump previously nominated Stefanik to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, but withdrew the nomination over concerns the move could weaken Republicans' House majority. In 2025, Stefanik briefly explored a run for New York governor before later announcing she would not seek reelection to Congress.
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