Trump’s Former Intelligence Chief: Turkey Is Not America’s Ally

Tulsi Gabbard issued a sharp Turkey warning after President Donald Trump’s visit to Ankara and his comments about lifting sanctions on Turkey.

Gabbard, who served as Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, came out against the U.S. president’s approach to Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“Erdogan’s Turkey is not our ally,” Gabbard said.

She added, “It is time to designate Erdogan’s Turkey as a state sponsor of terrorism and remove it from NATO. Stop the Holocaust of the Kurds. Stop the Islamism of the Muslim Brotherhood and defeat Hamas.”

The Tanakh says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” That warning speaks directly to alliance politics. A country’s NATO label cannot erase its conduct toward Israel, the Kurds, Greece, and regional security.

Gabbard Turkey Warning

Gabbard’s statement came as Trump signaled a major shift in U.S. policy toward Ankara.

Trump said he would lift sanctions on Turkey and consider an F-35 sale, despite unresolved concerns over Turkey’s Russian S-400 air defense system.

Her warning challenges the idea that improved personal diplomacy with Erdogan should outweigh strategic risk.

For Gabbard, Turkey’s record under Erdogan makes it dangerous to treat Ankara as a normal ally.

Her statement linked Turkey to several core concerns: the Kurds, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, NATO security, and Erdogan’s posture toward the West.

Impact For America And Israel

For the United States, Gabbard’s warning raises a direct question: should American military power strengthen a government whose loyalties remain disputed?

Turkey remains a NATO member and controls important geography. However, Erdogan’s government has repeatedly pursued policies that clash with U.S. partners.

Turkey’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 system already led Washington to remove Ankara from the F-35 program. Congress may still block any future F-35 sale, even if Trump lifts sanctions.

For Israel, the stakes are even more immediate.

Turkey under Erdogan has taken a hostile line toward Israel, supported anti-Israel movements, and positioned itself as a defender of Islamist causes. A stronger Turkish air force could alter the regional balance in the Eastern Mediterranean, Syria, and beyond.

That concern also drives “Trump Claims He Will Lift Turkey Sanctions.” Trump said he will lift sanctions on Turkey and consider an F-35 sale, raising new concerns for Israel, Greece, NATO, and U.S. security.

Gabbard’s comments now add pressure from inside Trump’s own political world.

She is not making a left-wing critique of Trump. She is warning that this decision could damage America’s alliance structure and Israel’s security.

A Shared Moral Calling

The United States and Israel both need clear standards for allies.

An ally should not empower Hamas, threaten Israel, pressure Greece, endanger Kurdish communities, or deepen cooperation with hostile powers while receiving advanced American weapons.

The United States and Israel also share a covenantal understanding before God.

America’s covenantal tradition is rooted in liberty under God, ordered justice, and the belief that power must serve moral purpose. Israel’s covenant is older and unique, rooted in God’s promise, Jewish peoplehood, Torah, and the return to the land of Israel.

Those covenants are not identical. However, they meet in a shared calling: defend freedom, protect the innocent, and use strength with moral discernment.

In this story, that shared calling means refusing to confuse diplomacy with trust. It means asking whether lifting sanctions and reopening the F-35 path will protect allies, or reward a leader whose policies threaten them.

For Israel, that duty includes preserving the military edge needed to defend Jewish life. For America, it includes ensuring that U.S. weapons strengthen reliable allies, not governments that undermine American interests.

Gabbard’s message is therefore larger than one quote. It is a warning that Washington must judge Turkey by its actions, not by ceremony, flattery, or NATO status.

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