Trump names – President Donald Trump has tapped Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to serve as acting director of national intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard. Trump says Pulte will keep his existing roles, while the White House has not clarified
For a job that usually sits at the center of national security, President Donald Trump reached for a leader known for housing finance.
On Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, Trump announced that Bill Pulte—currently the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency—will serve as acting director of national intelligence. Pulte is also chairman of the mortgage groups Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The change comes as Trump’s current DNI, Tulsi Gabbard, prepares to step away. Gabbard announced last month that she would resign from the role, with her resignation effective June 30.
Trump’s post on Truth Social said Pulte has no prior experience in an intelligence role, but will still keep his existing titles as FHFA director and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while serving as acting intelligence chief.
Before Pulte was named, Trump had already pointed to a different interim plan. He previously announced that Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Aaron Lukas would take over as acting DNI after Gabbard left.
That leaves two timing questions hanging in the air. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for clarification on when Pulte’s tenure as DNI would begin, and whether Lukas would remain in his current role.
The sequence is stark: Gabbard’s departure is tied to June 30, Trump had earlier signaled Lukas as the bridge, and now Pulte has been inserted as acting DNI—despite having no prior intelligence experience—while the answers on the switch’s exact timing remain unclear.
Donald Trump Bill Pulte acting director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard Federal Housing Finance Agency FHFA Fannie Mae Freddie Mac Aaron Lukas Truth Social