President Donald Trump has named federal housing finance director Bill Pulte as the acting director of national intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard.
The announcement came Tuesday via Trump’s Truth Social platform, where he praised Pulte, who also chairs mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Trump said Pulte “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, a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago.”
Pulte is expected to retain his current positions while serving in the intelligence role. His predecessor, Tulsi Gabbard, stepped down last month to support her husband after his cancer diagnosis.
The one-time congresswoman notified Trump of her intent to resign as of June 30 during a meeting on May 22.
“Abraham has been my rock throughout our eleven years of marriage — standing steadfast through my deployment to East Africa on a Joint Special Operations mission, multiple political campaigns and now my service in this role,” she wrote.
“His strength and love have sustained me through every challenge — I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming position.”
Gabbard said she was “deeply grateful for the trust President Trump placed in me and for the opportunity to lead ODNI for the last year and a half.”
Trump praised her in a post on Truth Social, saying, “Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her.” Before appointing Pulte, Trump said Gabbard’s principal deputy, Aaron Lukas, would serve as acting DNI following her departure.
While Pulte’s primary responsibility has been overseeing the mortgage market, he has notably acted as a vocal critic of the Republican president’s perceived political adversaries. A formal nomination would require Senate confirmation for him to hold the position full-time.
