US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a chilling social media video declaring the world stands “closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before,” blaming “political elite warmongers” for recklessly escalating tensions between nuclear powers, according to Politico.
The three-minute footage, posted on Tuesday, features harrowing archival imagery from Hiroshima alongside Gabbard’s reflections from her recent visit to the atomic-bombed city.
Gabbard detailed her experience at Hiroshima’s ground zero, where a US nuclear attack in 1945 killed approximately 140,000 people. She emphasised modern weapons’ catastrophic potential, stating:
A single nuclear weapon today could kill millions in just minutes.
The video included a simulation showing San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge reduced to rubble by a nuclear strike. Her message accused unnamed elites of fostering conflict while secure in their access to nuclear shelters, a privilege unavailable to ordinary citizens.
It’s up to us, the people, to speak up and demand an end to this madness. We must reject this path to nuclear war and work toward a world where no one has to live in fear of a nuclear holocaust.
Gabbard’s deputy chief of staff Alexa Henning clarified that the warning aligns with President Donald Trump’s stance.
President Trump has repeatedly stated in the past that he recognises the immeasurable suffering, and annihilation can be caused by nuclear war, which is why he has been unequivocal that we all need to do everything possible to work towards peace.
The video emerges amid delicate US negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme, following Tehran’s rejection of a US proposal to halt uranium enrichment. Gabbard’s warning underscores deepening geopolitical fissures as nuclear powers modernise arsenals and confrontations intensify.
