President Trump just made a major change at the top of America’s intelligence leadership.
Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William J. Pulte is now the surprise pick to serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence after Tulsi Gabbard’s exit.
This is a new chapter in the DNI succession story.
Earlier reporting had pointed to Principal Deputy Director Aaron Lukas stepping into the acting DNI chair. President Trump went in a different direction.
Fox News reported President Trump’s announcement and his Pulte quote this way:
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he is appointing Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William “Bill” Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence to replace Tulsi Gabbard.
“William has 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,” Trump wrote.
Trump said Pulte will remain FHFA director and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while serving in the intelligence post.
“Congratulations to Director Pulte!” Trump added.
Pulte was confirmed earlier this year to lead the FHFA, the agency that regulates Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Bank System.
Trump also noted that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now oversee more than $10 trillion in assets, which he said was “a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago.”
Pulte is set to succeed former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who last month announced her resignation from the post to support her husband following his diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer.
During her tenure, Gabbard led efforts to declassify a range of government records and pursued broader reforms within the intelligence community.
Gabbard’s resignation is scheduled to take effect on June 30.
ADVERTISEMENTIf Pulte is later nominated to serve as director of national intelligence on a permanent basis, he would require Senate confirmation.
The key detail is that Pulte keeps his housing role while taking the intelligence post.
That gives him a rare dual-hat assignment across housing finance and national intelligence.
Conservative reporter Eric Daugherty also highlighted Pulte’s recent pressure campaign against high-profile Trump opponents:
🚨 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
That background is part of what makes the pick stand out.
Pulte comes from housing finance rather than the intelligence bureaucracy, but President Trump is clearly putting a trusted administration figure into the acting DNI slot.
Trending Politics noted why this announcement changes the earlier expected handoff:
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte will serve as acting director of national intelligence, a surprise pick to replace Tulsi Gabbard when she exits the administration at the end of June.
ADVERTISEMENTTrump added that Pulte will remain in his existing posts.
“During this period, he will remain Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac. Congratulations to Director Pulte!”
Gabbard’s last day as director of national intelligence is scheduled for June 30.
The move reshuffles leadership of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which coordinates the sprawling U.S. intelligence community and briefs the president on threats ranging from terrorism and hostile state activity to cyber operations and foreign influence.
ADVERTISEMENTPulte has not previously held an intelligence role.
Still, Trump framed the appointment as a matter of trust and management, pointing to the FHFA portfolio and the size of the mortgage market under federal supervision.
The decision also appears to override an earlier transition plan.
Trump previously said Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Aaron Lukas would step in as acting DNI after Tulsi Gabbard’s departure.
The White House did not immediately clarify when Pulte’s tenure would begin, whether Lukas will remain in his current role, or how duties will be divided during the handoff.
Gabbard’s scheduled departure had already made the succession question important.
The surprise is that President Trump reached outside the expected DNI chain for the acting role.
The pick also landed immediately in market-focused political news feeds, which fits Pulte’s FHFA and Fannie/Freddie portfolio:
TRUMP NAMES BILL PULTE AS ACTING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE pic.twitter.com/HbboxyF6f7
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) June 2, 2026
The official Federal Housing Finance Agency profile lays out Pulte’s background and current portfolio:
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In this role, Pulte oversees Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks.
Before his appointment, Pulte had a longstanding career in homebuilding, housing products, and community development.
In 2011, Pulte founded Pulte Capital Partners LLC, an investment firm that focuses on building and housing products.
He also served on the board of Pulte Homes, a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest homebuilders in the country.
Beyond business, Pulte is recognized for his philanthropy.
Pulte founded the Blight Authority, a nonprofit organization dedicated to removing urban blight in Detroit, MI, St. Louis, MO, and Pontiac, MI.
ADVERTISEMENTPulte also started Twitter philanthropy, giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to numerous causes directly on Twitter (now X), and engaging millions of followers in the process.
Pulte graduated from Northwestern University.
The appointment gives Pulte a rare span of responsibility while Gabbard prepares to leave.
It also sends a clear message that Trump intends to manage the DNI transition on his own terms.
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