President Donald Trump said he wants acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte to begin reducing the size of the nation’s intelligence bureaucracy, arguing that Pulte’s temporary appointment gives him greater flexibility to make significant changes before a permanent director is selected.
In an interview published Friday by The Wall Street Journal, Trump discussed his vision for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the agency responsible for coordinating the work of 18 intelligence agencies and offices across the federal government.
According to the report, Trump said he has privately encouraged Pulte to begin the process of downsizing the office, which was created to oversee and coordinate intelligence operations throughout the government.
“I’d like to see it smaller,” Trump told the newspaper. “I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there.”
The president specifically referenced personnel who remained in government from the administrations of former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, suggesting that changes are needed within the organization.
When asked whether he was calling for employees to be dismissed, Trump made clear that he wants Pulte to begin moving in that direction.
“I want him to start the process,” Trump said, according to the report, adding that whoever is ultimately nominated and confirmed to serve as director on a permanent basis should continue those efforts.
The comments reflect Trump’s broader focus on reducing the size of certain federal agencies and reshaping parts of the government bureaucracy. During the interview, he suggested that ODNI could undergo major restructuring and even floated the possibility that the office might someday be eliminated altogether.
“We’ve made the Department of Education much smaller, and likewise, this should be much smaller,” Trump said.
He went even further, indicating that the future of the office itself could be reconsidered.
“And this should maybe even be terminated, and we’ll make that decision,” he said.
Trump’s remarks came only days after he appointed Pulte, who currently serves as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to oversee the intelligence community on an acting basis.
The selection drew attention because Pulte does not come from a traditional national security or intelligence background. Trump, however, suggested that Pulte’s temporary status may actually make him better positioned to carry out significant reforms.
Because acting officials do not undergo the same Senate confirmation process as permanent nominees, Trump argued that they can sometimes operate with fewer political constraints.
“You’re less shackled,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal. “It sort of gives you more power, you know, for a somewhat limited period of time.”
The president indicated that he hopes Pulte will use that window to implement changes before a permanent intelligence chief takes office.
According to Trump, beginning the restructuring process now could make the transition easier for whoever is eventually nominated to lead the office on a long-term basis.
“Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come,” Trump said.
He added that if Pulte succeeds in reducing the size of the office while coordinating with the White House and any future nominee, much of the difficult work could already be completed before a permanent director arrives.
“Because, if he reduced the size, in conjunction with me…and in conjunction with possibly the person coming in…he can do a lot of the hard work and we wouldn’t have to saddle somebody that goes in,” Trump said.
The comments offer one of the clearest indications yet of how Trump views the future of the intelligence bureaucracy. While the administration continues to emphasize national security priorities, the president’s remarks suggest he is also focused on reducing the size of the institutions responsible for overseeing intelligence operations and may seek broader structural changes in the months ahead.
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