President Donald Trump has selected Bill Pulte, his very visible Federal Housing Finance Agency director, to be the new acting director of national intelligence.
Pulte will temporarily replace outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
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Pulte will spend his time between controlling Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and holding an enormously crucial role for the country’s national security.
Trump touted Pulte’s “deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets, and over 10 Trillion Dollars at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac” in a Tuesday post naming him as the new acting director.
Pulte is a staunch Trump loyalist, a regular in the eye-catching headlines of Trump 2.0 and a constant presence in the president’s orbit in the White House and in Palm Beach.
Pulte issued a series of criminal referrals to the Justice Department against Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell.
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Trump addressed Gabbard’s impending departure late last week, praising her contributions and announcing that Deputy ODNI Aaron Lukas would temporarily assume the role of acting director after she leaves office on June 30.
“Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The DNI role places an official directly at the center of U.S. intelligence operations, national security briefings, and classified global threat assessments.
The office oversees coordination between America’s intelligence agencies and serves as one of the president’s top national security advisers.
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump names FHFA Director BILL PULTE as Acting Director of National Intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard for now
Pulte has GONE AFTER people Letitia James and Adam Schiff for fraud in recent months
“William has deep experience managing the most sensitive… pic.twitter.com/kAE1qbB2NQ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 2, 2026
Trump expressed his “tremendous gratitude” last week to Gabbard, just days after she announced her resignation.
During a Cabinet meeting, Trump referred to Gabbard as “a terrific person” and praised her for her contributions to the administration.
“Tulsi has worked tirelessly to restore trust and focus with the intelligence community. They all respected her,” Trump said.
“They listened to her and she gave us leads that were pretty much — people thought were dead and they weren’t dead. They were right there,” he added.
“And she was able to expose a lot of things that we used at the FBI with Kash [Patel] and with Todd [Blanche] and with JD [Vance] and everybody else. It was amazing,” Trump said.
Trump stated that Gabbard “dramatically reformed” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence by reducing the staff by 40% and preventing “countless” terrorists and cartel members from entering the U.S.
He also mentioned that she presented “mountains of evidence” regarding the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, which he referred to as “a very dangerous hoax.”
The president further stated that Gabbard declassified several files, including those related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, as well as files concerning UFOs.
“Tulsi, we’re praying for you and for your husband,” Trump said.
“Her husband’s not feeling great, but he’s going to feel great soon. You’re going to get him better,” Trump added.
When she announced her resignation earlier this month, she noted she was leaving her post to care for her husband, Abraham Williams, who is battling a rare form of bone cancer.
Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and Iraq War veteran, emerged as one of Donald Trump’s most prominent and unconventional Cabinet officials after joining the administration.
Her tenure as director of national intelligence frequently placed her at the center of national political debates due to her outspoken positions on foreign policy, intelligence reform, military intervention, and government transparency.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
