New Delhi: Soon after Tulsi Gabbard resigned as Director of National Intelligence in the US last month, President Donald Trump Tuesday announced William ‘Bill’ Pulte as her successor. A close ally of the president, Pulte is often referred to as ‘Little Trump’ and currently heads the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).
Making the announcement in a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “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.”Pulte, however, has no experience in national security and is seen to have risen through the ranks with massive donations to the Trump campaign.
Since March 2025, he has been heading the FHFA, which oversees and regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, government-sponsored enterprises meant to stabilise and provide liquidity to the US housing market.According to a report in The Guardian, Pulte has used his role to publicly accuse Trump’s opponents, making “extraordinary allegations” on social media and referring them for investigation. He has accused US Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to be appointed to the Board of Governors, of mortgage fraud. Cook has denied wrongdoing.Even Senate Republicans appeared uneasy with Pulte’s promotion, with John Thune, Senate majority leader, telling reporters that “we don’t need a weaponised” national intelligence director and Pulte would have “a lengthy road ahead of him” if he were nominated to take the post on a permanent basis. He is currently acting Director of National Intelligence.“If they nominate him to take the position permanently, he’ll have to go through a confirmation process and hearings and everything else,” Thune was reported as saying.Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, said in a statement: “Elevating him (Pulte) to oversee the Intelligence Community makes clear that this president is not looking for an intelligence leader who will follow the facts or speak truth to power, but rather someone who will be willing to shape intelligence around the president’s wishes, regardless of the cost to the American people.”
