Trump Taps Housing Regulator Bill Pulte As Acting Director Of National Intelligence
President Trump on Tuesday announced the appointment of Bill Pulte – Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, as Acting Director of National Intelligence following Tulsi Gabbard’s departure last month due to her husband’s cancer.
Pulte will simultaneously continue leading the FHFA and serving as chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-backed mortgage giants that back trillions of dollars in U.S. home loans. The arrangement effectively gives one Trump loyalist oversight of both the nation’s housing finance system and its 18 intelligence agencies.
“I am appointing the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, William J. Pulte, to serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “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, a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago. During this period, he will remain Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac. Congratulations to Director Pulte!”
The 37-year-old grandson of the founder of PulteGroup, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, Pulte came to Washington with a background in private equity and online philanthropy. Confirmed as FHFA director in March 2025, he quickly transformed the once-obscure regulator into a high-profile political actor.
The Director of National Intelligence position, created after the 9/11 attacks, coordinates the work of the CIA, NSA, FBI intelligence branch, and 15 other agencies. Traditionally filled by seasoned national security professionals with deep intelligence experience, the role has now been handed on an acting basis to a figure whose primary expertise lies in mortgage markets and real estate finance.
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Tyler Durden
Tue, 06/02/2026 – 09:21