Washington DC - Tulsi Gabbard, President-elect Donald Trump's controversial pick for director of national intelligence, has reportedly been having a tough time gaining the required support from US senators.

Several sources, including senators, recently told The Hill that Gabbard has been meeting with politicians at the Capitol to advocate for her appointment to the role – which will require a Senate approval vote to move forward – and they have not been going well.

One GOP senator described the meetings as "BS sessions" and claimed they heard from others that she is "not very well-prepared."

Another Senate Republican said there have been "a lot of eye rolls" going on at the meetings.

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An aide for another GOP senator said, "[Gabbard's] got some work to do if she wants the job. The more she meets with serious people, the more they'll see there's a competency deficit."

She has managed to gain support from MAGA Republicans, such as Montana Senator-elect Tim Sheehy and Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, along with notable figures such as X CEO Linda Yaccarino.

Trump's choice to tap Gabbard for the role has been met with controversy, with critics pointing to her lack of experience and open support for US adversaries, such as Syria's Bashar Al-Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii has also transitioned in recent years into a MAGA Republican with a penchant for "deep state" conspiracy theories.