President Trump is moving before a confirmation fight can slow down the cleanup of the intelligence bureaucracy.
He appointed William J. Pulte to serve as acting Director of National Intelligence, and now he wants Pulte to start cutting.
The Associated Press reported Friday that President Trump said he wants his new acting DNI to shrink the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
President Trump called the office “way too high for way too long” and said that “if he cut, I wouldn’t mind that.”
Eric Daugherty flagged the new Wall Street Journal report as the firing angle broke into the open:
🚨 JUST IN: PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTS ACTING DNI BILL PULTE TO CARRY OUT MASS FIRINGS — WSJ
LFG 🔥
Now we know why the Deep State and establishment senators are panicking…
"I think there are a LOT of people in there that shouldn't be there [in the Intel community]," Trump told… pic.twitter.com/7C0bPc0dzw
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 5, 2026
Pulte’s office oversees the intelligence community, including 18 agencies and units. That makes this a massive lever inside the federal government.
President Trump told the Wall Street Journal he wants Pulte to “start the process” of firing personnel, according to AP.
He also said there are people in the office who “shouldn’t be there.” AP reported that the remark was aimed at intelligence officials who served under Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
That is the part that has the old guard sweating.
The acting role appears to be part of the strategy. Badlands, highlighted by We The Media, summarized President Trump’s point that acting status gives Pulte more room to move fast.
President Trump reportedly said Pulte is “less shackled” and has “more power” for a limited stretch. He also said it might be good for Pulte to “shake it up” before a permanent director arrives.
That is a president who understands leverage. Get the hard cutting started now, then let the next permanent DNI inherit a leaner shop.
This builds on reform already underway. Under Tulsi Gabbard, ODNI had already moved to cut more than $700 million a year and roughly 40 percent of the workforce, according to AP.
Now President Trump wants Pulte to keep the cuts moving.
The White House framed Pulte as an America First reformer with the backing to take on entrenched interests:
President Trump’s appointment of William J. Pulte to serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence is drawing praise from lawmakers in the nation’s capital.
A battle-tested reformer with deep experience safeguarding highly sensitive information and overhauling massive government institutions, Pulte brings decisive leadership, proven integrity, and a fierce America First commitment to the Intelligence Community.
Pulte has a track record of transforming inefficient bureaucracies, protecting critical American assets, and confronting entrenched interests — exactly the outsider leadership needed to ensure our nation’s intelligence agencies focus on their core mission: protecting the American people and confronting global threats.
Sen. Jim Banks: “While Democrats play politics with our national security, @pulte will put the American people first.
He is a friend, ally, and patriot who will fight to drain the Swamp of our intel community, and keep America safe. I look forward to working with him as Acting Director of National Intelligence.”
Sen. Bernie Moreno: “A great pick by President Trump! My friend @Pulte will lead the DNI with integrity, cripple the deep state, and always prioritize America’s national security and the safety of our citizens!”
ADVERTISEMENTSen. Tommy Tuberville: “I am ALL FOR Bill Pulte as the Acting Director of National Intelligence.
He has done an excellent job in his role as Director of Federal Housing, and I’ve worked closely with him to get the WOKE NONSENSE out of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Bill is an America First PATRIOT, and I am confident he is the right man to drain the SWAMP in our intel community.”
That is the split screen: President Trump wants action, his allies want Pulte in the chair, and the intelligence bureaucracy suddenly has a reformer with a short window and a clear order.
For years, conservatives complained that the intelligence world had been allowed to grow too political, too bloated, and too comfortable. President Trump is now testing whether an acting DNI can start ripping out that rot before the permanent fight even begins.
Call it a bureaucratic bloodbath. For the entrenched deep state, that is exactly what it should feel like.
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