President Donald Trump said he wants soon-to-be acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte to begin shrinking the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) before a permanent nominee takes over — signaling a potentially aggressive effort to reduce the size of the agency responsible for coordinating the nation’s intelligence community.

Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he has privately instructed Pulte to begin what he described as a broader effort to streamline ODNI, calling the office «unnecessary and/or too big» and saying he wants the acting intelligence chief to «start the process» of reducing personnel before a permanent director is confirmed.

«I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,» Trump said, pointing to holdovers from the Obama and Biden administrations.

Asked whether he wants Pulte to fire employees, Trump said he wants the acting intelligence chief to «start the process,» adding that his eventual nominee to permanently lead the office should continue that work.

TRUMP NAMES BILL PULTE ACTING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard abruptly announced her resignation May 22, effective June 30, citing her husband’s bone cancer diagnosis. 

The president named Pulte, who currently serves as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to the acting role in early June. Because the position is temporary, Pulte does not require Senate confirmation and can serve for up to 210 days.

Trump suggested Pulte’s acting status could make it easier for him to carry out changes before a permanent director is confirmed.

«You’re less shackled,» Trump said. «It sort of gives you more power, you know, for a somewhat limited period of time.»

The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions on whether Pulte would be put up for confirmation as permanent director of national intelligence. 

SENATE PUSH TO REAUTHORIZE NATION’S SPY POWERS STUMBLES OVER CONTROVERSIAL TRUMP DECISION

«Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come,» Trump added. «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.»

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton quickly endorsed the effort, arguing the office has expanded beyond its original purpose and renewing his longstanding support for dramatically downsizing — or even eliminating — the office.

«President Trump is right: the ODNI has grown far beyond its original mandate,» Cotton wrote on X. «I’ve long advocated for downsizing, if not outright eliminating, this bureaucracy.»

TOM COTTON SLAMS ‘PARTISANS AND OBSTRUCTIONISTS’ IN DOD REPORTEDLY PLOTTING TO BLOCK TRUMP PLANS

«Time to return these officers back to their home agencies to focus on actual intelligence work. I support President Trump in this effort.»

ODNI was established in 2004 following recommendations from the 9/11 Commission and was designed to improve coordination among U.S. intelligence agencies after failures to share critical information ahead of the terrorist attacks.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton quickly endorsed the effort, arguing the office has expanded beyond its original purpose and renewing his longstanding support for dramatically downsizing — or even eliminating — the office. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

The office oversees and coordinates the work of the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies and components.

Cotton has long been among lawmakers who argue the agency has grown beyond its original mission. Earlier in 2026, he introduced legislation that would cap ODNI at 650 employees. 

The office had roughly 1,800 employees at the start of the second Trump administration, though outgoing Director of National Intelligence Gabbard has said she reduced the workforce by about 25%. 

Trump’s latest comments suggest the administration could pursue a more far-reaching restructuring effort than previously outlined — and that Pulte may be tasked with beginning that process before a permanent nominee is in place.

The president’s selection of Pulte as acting DNI surprised many lawmakers and national security observers because the Federal Housing Finance Agency director has no intelligence or national security background.

Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell raised concerns about the appointment shortly after it was announced.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard abruptly announced her resignation May 22, effective June 30, citing her husband’s bone cancer diagnosis.  (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

«Anyone performing this role of such immense public trust must have the extensive national security experience required by statute, and no nominee who falls short of this requirement will earn my vote,» McConnell said.

«Trump thinks that Bill Pulte can be both director of the mortgage regulators and director of national intelligence,» Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said in a video posted to X. «You can’t do both jobs … this is outrageous.» 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump, however, has suggested that Pulte’s temporary status is precisely what makes him well-suited to carry out the administration’s plans for the office.

The president said he hopes Pulte can begin reducing the size of ODNI before a permanent nominee takes over, allowing the acting chief to complete much of the «hard work» associated with the effort.

El presidente ucraniano, Volodimir Zelensky, reportó este sábado exitosos ataques ucranianos en las regiones rusas de San Petersburgo y Krasnodar que habrían afectado arsenales de la marina enemiga y un depósito de petróleo; y advirtió que todo acto de injusticia contra Ucrania tendrá respuesta.

“Esta guerra tiene que terminar pero el líder ruso quiere seguir peleando. Por eso las acciones ucranianas responden a la agresión”, dijo Zelensky en su cuenta de X.

“En la noche anterior nuestros drones superaron una distancia de cerca de 1.000 kilómetros hasta la región de San Petesburgo, hasta los arsenales de la marina enemiga y de la base de Kronstadt. También superaron 500 kilómetros hasta la región de Krasnodar y golpearon un depósito de petróleo”, agregó

Zelensky calificó esas acciones como resultados importantes de las fuerzas ucranianas y agradeció a sus soldados por su precisión.

“Rusia tiene que terminar su guerra y todo ataque a la vida. Cada forma de injusticia tendrá una respuesta justa. Agradezco a nuestros guerreros por su precisión”, escribió.

Residentes de San Petersburgo, la segunda ciudad más grande de Rusia, recibieron la orden de no salir de sus casas tras un ataque “a gran escala” con drones ucranianos contra la ciudad la mañana del sábado. El incidente resalta la creciente capacidad de Kiev para atacar en el interior profundo de Rusia, un día después de que el presidente ruso rechazara la propuesta de reunirse con su homólogo ucraniano.

El gobernador de San Petersburgo, Alexander Beglov, aconsejó a los residentes no salir y advirtió sobre posibles interrupciones en el servicio de internet móvil, mientras que el gobernador regional, Alexander Drozdenko, informó que 141 drones fueron derribados en la región de Leningrado.

El Ministerio de Defensa ruso informó que sus sistemas de defensa antiaérea derribaron 376 drones ucranianos.

A pesar de que no se reportaron víctimas de inmediato, el nuevo ataque contra San Petersburgo representa otro golpe para los esfuerzos del presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, por presentar el conflicto como un evento lejano que no afecta la vida diaria de los rusos.

Un ataque ucraniano con drones incendió una terminal petrolera en la ciudad y alcanzó una base naval cercana el miércoles, horas antes del inicio del Foro Económico Internacional de San Petersburgo, el evento anual de Putin para promover inversiones.

Al hablar en el foro, Putin dijo que Rusia fortalecerá sus defensas antiaéreas para contrarrestar los recientes ataques ucranianos con drones, que han llegado al interior del país y afectado el evento en su ciudad natal.

El viernes, Putin rechazó una propuesta de Zelensky para una reunión cara a cara sobre el conflicto que lleva cuatro años, afirmando que no le ve “sentido”. La carta del jueves, primer mensaje público que Zelensky dirige a Putin desde que Rusia envió tropas a Ucrania en 2022, fue una crítica al liderazgo del mandatario ruso durante 26 años, así como burlas sobre su edad.

Con la línea del frente casi sin cambios debido al uso masivo de drones que dificulta los avances, ambas partes buscan obtener ventaja mediante ataques de largo alcance.

En Ucrania, una persona murió y tres resultaron heridas durante la noche en la región de Dnipropetrovsk, donde las fuerzas rusas atacaron tres distritos casi 30 veces con drones y artillería, según el jefe regional Oleksandr Hanzha.

En Zaporizhzhia, siete personas requirieron atención médica tras un ataque ruso con drones que provocó un incendio en un estacionamiento, informó el jefe regional Ivan Fedorov.

Rusia atacó Ucrania durante la noche con 272 drones kamikaze, y las defensas aéreas derribaron 249 de ellos, según la fuerza aérea ucraniana.

Former Cuban leader Raúl Castro made his first public appearance Friday since the Trump administration charged him with murder over the 1996 shoot-down of planes operated by a Cuban exile group.

Castro appeared on state television during an Interior Ministry celebration in Havana, according to Reuters.

The appearance came weeks after the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment accusing Castro of playing a role in the downing of two aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile organization Brothers to the Rescue nearly 30 years ago.

Castro was charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, destruction of aircraft and four counts of murder.

DOJ, TREASURY INVESTIGATE NONPROFITS AND LEADERS ALLEGEDLY COORDINATING WITH CUBA IN INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN

Castro, who turned 95 on Wednesday, was last seen publicly during May Day celebrations in Havana, days before the indictment was unsealed.

Prior to his May Day appearance, Castro had remained out of public view for months, appearing only at a public ceremony in Cuba’s capital in January honoring 32 Cuban soldiers killed during the U.S. military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The indictment centers on a February 1996 incident in which Cuban military aircraft allegedly shot down two unarmed civilian planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue, killing four men: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales.

OBAMA’S BASEBALL OUTING WITH CASTRO REIGNITES FURY AFTER TRUMP DOJ DROPS HAMMER ON CUBAN LEADER

Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro attend a parade in Havana, Cuba, on Dec. 2, 1996. (Sven Creutzmann/Mambo Photography/Getty Images)

Prosecutors allege the aircraft were flying outside Cuban territory when they were destroyed.

The indictment came amid rising tensions in the Caribbean and a series of comments from Trump and his surrogates hinting at possible regime change in the island nation.

President Donald Trump previously praised the indictment, saying Cuban Americans whose families suffered under the communist regime had waited decades for accountability.

TRUMP DECLARES NATIONAL EMERGENCY OVER CUBA, THREATENS TARIFFS ON NATIONS THAT SUPPLY OIL TO COMMUNIST REGIME

Former Cuban Vice President Jose Machado and dictator Raul Castro are seen in Cuba. (Yamil Lage/Getty Images)

«We have big news on Cuba, as you know, with the indictment of Castro,» Trump said. «A lot of people have suffered very big, very, very, at levels that few people would understand.»

Trump also suggested tensions with Cuba would not escalate following the indictment.

«There won’t be escalation,» he said. «We won’t have to.»

MADURO’S CAPTURE IS ‘BEGINNING OF THE END’ FOR CUBA’S REGIME, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE CHAIR SAYS

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and former Cuban leader Raul Castro stand together at an event. (Ismael Francisco/Cubadebate/AP:Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

Still, the decision to indict Castro fueled comparisons to the pressure campaign Trump previously used against Maduro.

«At the very least, it means symbolically that he is now set up just as Nicolás Maduro was,» Christine Balling, a Cuba expert at the Institute of World Politics and former advisor to U.S. Special Operations Command South, previously told Fox News Digital.

The U.S. indicted Maduro on narco-terrorism charges while tightening sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector, backing opposition efforts to remove him from power and increasing military operations in the Caribbean.

«I don’t think that we are necessarily going to conduct the same operation,» Balling said. «Raúl Castro is 94 years old. It might not be worth the trouble.»

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Still, Balling argued that the indictment sent «a very straightforward message that we are 100% behind the fall of the Castro regime.»

Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy, Greg Wehner and Morgan Phillips, along with Fox News’ David Spunt, Bill Mears and Jake Gibson contributed to this report. Reuters also contributed to this report.