Trump Backs Tulsi Gabbard, Alleges Obama Ran a 2016 'Coup'
In a surprise twist, US President Donald Trump is commending Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard for issuing a report he says uncovers a 2016 election conspiracy. During a recent White House function, Trump accused former President Barack Obama of presiding over a group that "cheated" to manipulate the election. Trump also generated new outrage for referring to Gabbard as "the hottest one in the room," before attributing credit to her for laying bare what he called "an attempted coup."
Tulsi Gabbard's report reopens the Russia investigation saga, despite previous findings consistently revealing no vote tampering and establishing Russian interference. The timing of the report, which was on the same day as new scrutiny of Trump's connections to Jeffrey Epstein, was met with scathing responses from political opponents and media critics.
Trump specifically called out Tulsi Gabbard in his comments, pointing at her and stating, "She's, like, hotter than everybody." Although the comment elicited laughter from sections of the room, some saw it as being out of place and distracting.
Trump immediately changed course to Gabbard's report, claiming it establishes that Obama did indeed concoct a plot to meddle with the 2016 election. "She has all the documents," Trump stated. "They cheated without question. It's not even a quote.
Trump identified Barack Obama as the "ringleader" of the supposed operation. He also accused Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Trump argued the cheating created a false impression of loss. "It was a big victory," he claimed. Yet, no criminal charges have ever been made against those individuals in connection with the Russia investigation.
Obama's staff moved quickly. His press secretary, Patrick Rodenbush labelled Trump's accusations as "ridiculous" and "a transparent attempt at distraction."
Gabbard's conclusions revisit some of the 2017 intelligence evaluation and the Mueller probe. Trump highlighted that the report indicates no manipulation of vote counts. But previous reports had already done so.
What those investigations did affirm was serious Russian interference to support Trump's campaign. Though Gabbard contends the files discredit the larger storyline, bipartisan congressional analyses have corroborated Mueller's conclusions.
The report landed while Trump is under renewed fire for his association with Jeffrey Epstein. Asked about it, Trump decried the scandal as a "witch hunt." Even some of his allies are now calling for more transparency. The concurrent revelations have generated questions regarding motivation and timing.
Trump's latest broadside against Obama and the intelligence community is part of his ongoing attempt to rewrite history around the 2016 events. With Gabbard now squarely in his camp, the administration looks likely to double down. But critics warned that these strategies risk eroding democratic institutions. As the heat of the 2025 political campaign increases, the distinction between revelation and diversion narrows by the day.
