Donald Trump’s latest appointment for the role of intelligence chief has stirred immediate controversy, with Republican circles expressing frustration over the nominee’s erratic tendencies and controversial online presence.
Bill Pulte, a 38-year-old who currently leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency and serves as the chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, was named acting director of national intelligence on Tuesday following Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation.
Pulte’s leadership at the FHFA has not been without its criticisms. Notably, his proposal for a 50-year mortgage faced significant opposition from critics within the housing and financial sectors.
Known for his strong relationship with Trump, Pulte frequently accompanies the President on Air Force One and is often seen at Trump’s various resorts and golf courses, illustrating their close connection.
However, Pulte’s appointment as the nation’s top intelligence official has left some of Trump’s closest supporters perplexed due to his lack of experience in intelligence.
As one former Trump administration official remarked to Politico, “The president has so many smart people at the White House, trusted people, that he could be listening to. And he listens to Pulte, who just continually messes things up.”
Before his FHFA nomination, Pulte had achieved online fame as a meme-stock influencer.
Video resurfaced on Wednesday showing Pulte receiving a penis-shaped award at an investing event in Florida in 2023.
President Donald Trump appointed Bill Pulte, 38, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to serve as acting director of national intelligence on Tuesday. Many of Trump’s GOP allies were shocked by the appointment
Video resurfaced on Wednesday showing Pulte receiving a penis-shaped award at an investing event in Florida in 2023
The event, which Pulte helped to organize, showed other bawdy moments including an unidentified man being struck across the face by a neon-green sex toy.
The head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, right, will replace outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard
Senate Majority Leader John Thune reacted to Pulte’s new job on Tuesday: ‘We don’t need a weaponized DNI; we need professionals there’
The trophy was inscribed with ‘Bill Pulte f***s’, and ‘only the young,’ a slogan among meme-stock traders.
‘That looks pretty badass,’ Pulte says in the video.
The event, which Pulte helped to organize, showed other bawdy moments including an unidentified man being struck across the face by a neon-green sex toy.
Before being tapped for the housing roles, the FHFA director worked for his family’s construction company the Pulte Group, which is reportedly worth over $22 billion. He also began a private equity firm and gave away money on social media.
Since joining the administration, Pulte has turned his little-known housing agency fiefdom into a cudgel against Trump’s enemies by launching probes into several of the President’s political opponents for mortgage fraud.
Pulte spoke with Trump before the President posted a controversial meme depicting himself as Jesus, and just before Trump pitched a 50-year mortgage plan that was soon rolled back after much backlash.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune reacted to Pulte’s new job on Tuesday: ‘We don’t need a weaponized DNI; we need professionals there.’
‘Again, I just heard about it. I’ll try and get more information about the current state of their thinking about that position,’ the Senate GOP leader added. ‘If he’s somebody they want in that position permanently, he’s got a – as you all know – a lengthy road ahead of him.’
The President appointed Pulte to oversee the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on an interim basis.
He replaces outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard, who announced she is stepping down while her husband is undergoing treatment for a rare form of bone cancer.
He will be allowed to hold the position as acting DNI for 210 days, or until January 2027.
Should Trump want him in the position longer, Pulte will need to be confirmed by the Senate.
But given how many GOP Senators are concerned with his qualifications, it could be a difficult gambit to have Pulte get Senate confirmation.
‘I don’t see any evidence of qualifications for that job, but [I am] willing to listen,’ outgoing Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Tuesday.
North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis reacted: ‘I didn’t know he had any national security experience.’
Trump floated the idea of bringing Pulte in to serve as his intelligence chief over the weekend, sources told the Wall Street Journal, adding they were surprised to see the President follow through.
Outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard (R) said last week she would step down to spend time with her husband Abraham (L) as he gets treatment for a rare form of bone cancer
Pulte has also feuded with one of the President’s most trusted advisers.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly told Pulte in the fall that he would ‘punch you in your f***ing face’ after the Treasury chief caught wind of the housing financier badmouthing him to Trump.
‘Why the f*** are you talking to the President about me? F*** you,’ Bessent reportedly told Pulte at a dinner with many Cabinet officials in September. ‘I’m gonna punch you in your f***ing face.’
Bessent has not commented on the alleged incident.
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