President Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), shared photos of herself on New Year’s Day on a Hawaiian beach, striking yoga poses. Gabbard wrote: “My heart is filled with gratitude, aloha and peace” and added a praying hands emoji and the hashtag #2026.
My heart is filled with gratitude, aloha and peace
#2026 pic.twitter.com/Du0iGV2sRb
— Tulsi Gabbard
(@TulsiGabbard) January 2, 2026
MAGA supporters generally responded with good wishes including Merianne Jensen, Vice Chair of the Prince William County Republican Committee in Northern Virginia, who shared a photo of herself in a bikini with her husband on a Hawaiian beach and wrote: “We barely missed you. Took the fam there for Christmas!” (Gabbard replied, “Beautiful!”)
Beautiful!
— Tulsi Gabbard
Jenny Korn, Deputy Assistant to the President and Faith Director of the White House Faith Office, also replied to Tulsi with a beach photo, below.
Totally understand the feeling! Happy New Year Tulsi! pic.twitter.com/zXyFZTAlTQ
— Jenny Korn (@JennySKorn) January 2, 2026
Gabbard stopped replying to comments when critics of the Trump administration jumped into the thread. Democratic political pundit Joanne Carducci replied to Gabbard: “You do the bidding of a corrupt, criminal sexual predator who incited an attack against our country. You can post all the downward dog peace [expletive] you want, we still see you, and history does too.”
Pro-Ukraine social media influencer “Jay in Kyiv” also replied: “Gratitude for the Russian cash, we assume.”
Note: Gabbard has been accused by anti-MAGA Republicans of repeating Russian propaganda regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war. In 2022, U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) tweeted “Tulsi Gabbard is parroting false Russian propaganda. Her treasonous lies may well cost lives.” And Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) accused Gabbard of spreading “actual Russian propaganda. Traitorous.”