Former intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard says her husband Abraham Williams is cancer free and progressing well after surgery for a rare bone cancer, though she warns the battle is far from over.
Gabbard posted a three-minute video to X on Thursday morning, her first detailed public account of what the family has endured since Williams received a diagnosis of sacral chordoma earlier this year. In the video, Fox News reported, Gabbard described the moment she learned the news, the grueling surgery that followed, and the physical therapy her husband now faces daily.
Sacral chordoma is a rare cancer of the bone at the base of the spine. Gabbard called it a "one in a million type of cancer." The diagnosis upended the couple's life and ultimately led Gabbard to resign as Director of National Intelligence so she could stand beside her husband through treatment.
Gabbard recounted the moment Williams told her about the diagnosis. She said she picked up the phone and immediately knew something was wrong.
"I picked up the phone, and Abraham's voice was different. He said that he got a call from his doctor, and the doctor told him that he has sacral chordoma, very, very rare, one in a million type of cancer."
Williams underwent surgery that kept him under heavy anesthesia for close to eight hours. The video included tender footage of the couple sharing a tight, loving hug before he went into the operating room. Gabbard described the aftermath in blunt terms.
"His body, as he started to come out, started reacting to the drugs that were in his body."
"It was tough," she said.
But Williams refused narcotic pain medication after the procedure. That same night, he insisted on getting out of bed. With help from nurses, he took his first steps, and kept going even when his body fought back.
"He would take a few steps. He would throw up as he was trying to walk around, but he kept going."
That kind of grit defined the early recovery. A few weeks after surgery, the pathologist and doctors told the couple they were confident all cancerous bone and tissue had been removed. Williams, for the moment, is cancer free.
Gabbard stepped down from her Cabinet post to be at her husband's side, a decision she announced in May. She officially left the administration at the end of June.
By the time Gabbard recorded the video, Williams was roughly three months past surgery and deep into a demanding physical therapy regimen. She described his determination, and his impatience.
"He gets frustrated a lot because he wants to be able to make progress faster, and sometimes he's pushed a little bit too far, but overall, Abraham is progressing very well."
The couple married on April 9, 2015, and have been together for more than eleven years. Gabbard's voice carried visible emotion throughout the video as she spoke about what Williams has endured and what still lies ahead.
The cancer-free status is encouraging, but Gabbard was careful not to declare victory. She told viewers plainly that the fight is not finished.
"The reality is that the battle isn't over yet."
Williams will need frequent MRIs going forward to monitor whether the cancer returns, either in the same location or elsewhere in his body. Gabbard relayed the doctors' guidance directly: continued surveillance is essential.
Gabbard was sworn in as Director of National Intelligence on February 12, 2025, in the Oval Office. She had run for president in the 2020 Democratic primary before leaving the party and later joining President Trump's Cabinet. Her tenure drew intense scrutiny from Democrats, but her departure had nothing to do with politics.
When she submitted her resignation, the Washington Examiner reported that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed her exit was for "personal reasons." ODNI Principal Deputy Director Aaron Lukas stepped in to serve in an acting capacity. President Trump acknowledged the situation publicly, saying Gabbard's husband "has been recently diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, and she, rightfully, wants to be with him."
National Review noted that Gabbard was the fourth Trump Cabinet member to exit the administration in recent months. In her resignation statement, she said she could not "in good conscience" ask her husband to face the fight alone while she continued in a demanding and time-consuming role.
The vacancy she left behind was eventually filled. The Senate confirmed Jay Clayton as the new intelligence director over Democratic objections led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Just The News reported that Williams' surgery involved removing a portion of his tailbone, with doctors confident that all cancerous material had been taken out. The outlet confirmed that Gabbard left her post earlier in 2026 following the diagnosis.
Gabbard closed the video with thanks, to the surgical team, to the nurses who helped Williams walk that first night, and to the thousands of people who reached out with prayers and support.
"We are so grateful to God for His unconditional love, for being our shelter, for being our peace and our strength."
She also thanked the public directly, using a Hawaiian phrase that reflected her roots: "Mahalo nui loa to you all."
In her written post on X, Gabbard acknowledged how difficult the ordeal has been to discuss publicly. "This has been a challenging time for us and is hard to talk about," she wrote. "But so many of you have reached out asking how he's doing, and sharing your prayers and well wishes with us."
Cancer has touched many public figures this year. Singer Barry Manilow recently canceled shows as health questions mounted after his own cancer surgery, and Christian songwriter Brian Doerksen died at 60 just days after a stage four diagnosis. The Gabbard-Williams story, at least for now, carries a more hopeful trajectory.
Before Gabbard's resignation, she was still serving in her official capacity when she and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Arlington National Cemetery at the request of a Gold Star widow on Memorial Day, one of her final public appearances as DNI.
Near the end of the video, the camera captured a quiet exchange between husband and wife. Williams looked at Gabbard and said simply: "Love you, darlin'." She answered: "I love you."
Tulsi Gabbard gave up one of the most powerful jobs in government to be at her husband's side. That choice says more about character than any policy debate ever could.
