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US President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he wants his incoming acting spy chief, Bill Pulte, to begin firing intelligence agency employees.
The demand intensifies the ongoing controversy surrounding Trump’s Tuesday appointment of Pulte, a staunch loyalist with zero prior intelligence experience.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump argued that staff numbers have remained too high for too long and noted that he would welcome deep cuts across the 18 sprawling US intelligence agencies.
In a Wall Street Journal interview, Trump explicitly stated his desire for Pulte to slash staff sizes, specifically targeting holdouts from the Biden and Obama administrations.
Trump suggested that Pulte’s temporary status gives him unique leeway to gut the intelligence community, noting that an acting official is “less shackled” and holds more concentrated power for a limited time.
Furthermore, Trump doubled down on unfounded voting claims from his 2021 election loss, suggesting that Pulte would also investigate “rigged elections.”
Trump previously deployed former intel chief Tulsi Gabbard—who stepped down to care for her sick husband—to investigate alleged election fraud, despite the role lacking any such mandate.
Democrats have heavily condemned the appointment, highlighting Pulte’s history of weaponising government records against Trump’s political opponents.
The property heir previously demonstrated his loyalty by using mortgage records to target adversaries, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, and Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook.
While Trump attempted to quiet the backlash by stating he has already interviewed five people for a permanent replacement, the move has severely strained his relationship with Republican lawmakers who worry about the upcoming November midterm elections.
The appointment also triggered immediate legislative gridlock in Washington on Friday.
US senators blocked a bipartisan deal to renew a major foreign surveillance authority in direct protest of Pulte’s selection.
Democrats declared that they could not support expanded surveillance powers without explicit assurances regarding how Pulte’s leadership would utilise national intelligence.
