WASHINGTON — President Trump said he wants Bill Pulte, his incoming acting director of national intelligence, to begin firing a large number of intelligence-community employees and reducing the size of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, according to an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Friday.

Trump said in the interview that he has privately told Pulte the ODNI — which oversees 18 federal intelligence agencies and units — was “unnecessary and/or too big.” He said he believes there are a large number of holdovers from the Biden and Obama administrations working there.

“I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” Trump told the Journal. Asked whether he is calling on Pulte to fire people, Trump said he wants him to “start the process,” adding that his eventual nominee for the permanent role should continue that work.

Trump stunned many of his own advisers when he announced Pulte’s appointment this week. Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency who also serves as chairman of the board for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has no national-security background. Some Republicans on Capitol Hill expressed skepticism about the pick, raising concerns about his lack of experience.

Because the role is an acting appointment, it does not require Senate confirmation. Pulte can serve for 210 days. Trump argued in the interview that the temporary status is an asset.

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

Trump said he wants Pulte to begin making changes across the intelligence community before a permanent director is confirmed. He said it could be helpful for Pulte to “shake it up before people come,” doing “a lot of the hard work” so a confirmed nominee would not be “saddled” with it.

Pulte did not respond to requests for comment from the Journal.

Democrats and some Republicans have sounded alarms that Pulte will use the position to target the president’s perceived enemies and politicize the agency. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) told reporters earlier this week, “We don’t need a weaponized DNI.”

Trump’s decision to elevate Pulte has also complicated a push to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a powerful surveillance program set to expire in the coming days. Early Friday, a Senate vote to move forward on reauthorizing the program failed after some lawmakers cited concerns about Pulte. MSI previously reported that the appointment threatened the renewal effort.

Trump said he is in the process of interviewing permanent intelligence-director candidates. He said he interviewed two people Friday, “one from business and one from the world of politics,” but declined to name them. “Bill is not going to be there that long,” Trump said.

Trump said he wants Pulte to approach the intelligence role similarly to how Education Secretary Linda McMahon has managed her agency, which has moved to reduce its size. Trump has said he wants to eliminate the Education Department.

“We’ve made the Department of Education much smaller, and likewise, this should be much smaller,” Trump said. “And this should maybe even be terminated, and we’ll make that decision.”

The director of national intelligence is the president’s top intelligence adviser. The DNI’s powers include briefing the president on sensitive U.S. secrets, exercising authority over roughly $100 billion in annual spy spending, and holding sway over which secrets to declassify.

Trump said he wants Pulte to release more classified documents, including documents related to the 2020 election. Asked what documents Pulte should consider releasing, Trump said, “I would say everything — he should look at everything and make a determination.”

Pulte privately argued to Trump in recent weeks that he would be a good candidate to succeed Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, according to the Journal. Gabbard said last month that she was stepping down, citing her husband’s cancer.

ODNI has already made significant personnel cuts. Gabbard launched an efficiency initiative last year that reduced the agency’s staff by nearly 50%, according to an ODNI official. The official said Gabbard has indicated she would support terminating the agency if necessary.

Pulte has won Trump’s confidence through an aggressive approach as housing chief. He has alleged that several of Trump’s perceived adversaries — including Sen. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.), New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook — committed mortgage fraud. None have been charged with crimes, and all have denied wrongdoing. Trump pointed to Pulte’s allegations against Cook when he moved to fire her as Fed governor last year; her legal challenge is pending before the Supreme Court.

Pulte also called for the ouster of former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on social media and drafted a letter for Trump to fire Powell.