President Donald Trump's inner circle is growing increasingly frustrated by the depth of his trust in Bill Pulte, the Director of U.S. Federal Housing who oversees the nation's housing finance system and has held the role since March 2025. Formally, the post is Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the regulator with authority over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — the government-sponsored enterprises that guarantee a majority of new U.S. home mortgages — a portfolio that puts the FHFA chief at the center of the country's debate.

According to a new report from The Daily Beast, insiders who spoke to NBC News say those around Trump resent how much influence Pulte wields over the president — influence attributed largely to his constant proximity. Pulte, whose grandfather founded PulteGroup, one of the largest homebuilders in the United States, is described as perpetually at Trump's side, and not only in a professional capacity: the two frequently travel together on domestic trips and spend weekends at Trump's golf clubs.

Tension is mounting as sources say Pulte has been pitching ideas to the president that many in the administration consider nonsensical.

“He comes up with the weirdest ideas and is just always there to pitch them to the president. I don't know why, but sometimes he listens,” one Trump adviser told NBC News.

“The president loves him, even if no one else does,” another anonymous source claimed.

According to those sources, Pulte has learned how to appeal to Trump by presenting pitches with images or graphs rather than lengthy text. Amid the ongoing controversy over Trump's efforts to demolish the historic Kennedy Center and rename it after himself, the president was recently seen aboard Air Force One holding a large poster that appeared to read “Kennedy Center Demolished” while standing next to Pulte. One source alleges Pulte was the mastermind behind the poster.

Pulte is also said to have pitched Trump the idea of converting the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room — the White House briefing space named for the press secretary left paralyzed in the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan — into an indoor swimming pool.

His policy footprint extends further. Pulte is reportedly responsible for introducing the concept of a 50-year mortgage — a striking departure from the 30-year fixed-rate loan that has long been the standard U.S. home loan — and is credited with urging Trump to veto a bipartisan housing bill that Republicans had hoped to tout as a key response to the cost-of-living crisis. Because Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac sit at the heart of that mortgage market, ideas that clear the president's desk in this portfolio flow directly into the loan terms and monthly costs American homebuyers face.

Accounts of Pulte's behavior vary, but several suggest he appears unbothered by — or may even enjoy — rubbing colleagues the wrong way with his access to Trump. One former administration official said Pulte can be found standing around the West Wing with a poster in hand, waiting to “intercept the president,” adding to the irritation among staff.

“He will say, ‘The president wants me to be on this trip,'” one Trump adviser said. “He is always on trips, that's his thing.”

Trump, for his part, has praised Pulte. The president is said to appreciate not only Pulte's loyalty but also his aggressive support of the administration's agenda, and considers him a great financial leader — a view that, according to the reporting, has so far outweighed the frustration of the aides around him.