Who is Bill Pulte, the Trump loyalist chosen to lead US intelligence on an interim basis
From real estate investor to the - albeit temporary - head of National Intelligence: the rise of the president's handpicked executive, between Fhfa, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and political loyalty
In 2019 he asked his followers to tell him about an economic problem and sent money via social media to some of them. Seven years later Donald Trump chose him to lead US intelligence.
William J. Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (Fhfa), has been appointedacting director of National Intelligence, the office that coordinates federal intelligence agencies. The announcement came from the president on Truth Social, after last month Tulsi Gabbard, now director of national intelligence (Dni), announced her resignation effective 30 June. Pulte will also keep her previous positions at the head of the Fhfa and as chairman of the boards of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two US real estate credit giants.
For Trump, he is the right man to handle sensitive dossiers and oversee major financial activities. His CV, however, does not come from the secret service, the armed forces or diplomacy, but from real estate, finance and a notoriety also built on social networks. Born in 1988, Bill Pulte is the grandson of William J. Pulte, founder of PulteGroup, one of the largest American residential construction companies. He graduated from Northwestern University and founded Pulte Capital, a private equity firm active in real estate and construction, in 2011.
Before joining the Trump administration, he had built an important part of his public image away from Washington. He founded the Blight Authority, an organisation committed to fighting urban decay by removing derelict buildings in cities such as Detroit, Pontiac and St. Louis. He went on to gain national visibility with the so-called 'Twitter philanthropy', distributing money and supporting charitable causes directly through the current X, involving millions of followers.
Until in 2025 Trump nominated him to head theFederal Housing Finance Agency, the agency that oversees Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks. On 13 March the confirmation by the Senate came with 56 votes in favour and 43 against. From the following day, Pulte formally took over as director of the Fhfa. And it did not take long for him to get his hands on the top of the federal real estate system.
