SEATTLE (AP) — Christian Pulisic’s injury absence didn’t hurt the Americans one bit.
The U.S. national soccer team found a way to advance to the knockout round without the injured forward on the field, beating Australia 2-0 Friday for its second straight victory at the largest World Cup in history.
“C.P. is a fantastic player — the quality and the leadership that he gives us,” said Folarin Balogun, who scored two goals in the 4-1 victory over Paraguay on June 12. “We didn’t have him today, but I think you saw we’re still capable to go out there and get a result and put up a performance.”
Pulisic, who plays for AC Milan and has 33 goals in 87 international appearances, missed Friday’s match because of a calf injury.
To play without a superstar like Pulisic could have derailed previous American teams in World Cup play. But much has changed since the last time they served as World Cup hosts in 1994, when they advanced by being one of the best third-place teams. They then lost to eventual champion Brazil in their next match, which was in the round of 16.
At this year’s 48-team tournament, the U.S. has won consecutive games for the first time at a World Cup since 1930. The Americans have scored six goals, one off their record for most in a single World Cup, and received contributions throughout their roster.
Alex Freeman, the youngest player on the team at 21 and son of Super Bowl champion Antonio Freeman, gave the Americans a 2-0 lead in the 43rd minute off a set piece. Freeman headed in a deflected shot by Sergiño Dest for his first career World Cup goal. The goal was confirmed after a video review.
“(He) is doing a fantastic job,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said of Freeman. “The evolution is massive. He’s so humble. He wants to learn. He always listens. He’s a player that you really enjoy being with him. Not only coaching, but being with him.”
The U.S. took a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute after a run down the left sideline by Balogun.
He directed a centering pass towards striker Ricardo Pepi, who started in place of Pulisic. The ball never reached Pepi, deflecting off Australia defender Cameron Burgess and into the Socceroos’ net for an own-goal.
“I want to be dangerous, I want to create opportunities,” Balogun said. “It might not always be myself that scores, but if I can force an error that gives us the lead, then for me it’s like a goal as well. It was a special start to the game to give us the momentum.”
The Americans did not score again after halftime, but the manner with which they so thoroughly dominated Australia in the opening 45 minutes left a lasting impression on Socceroos coach Tony Popovic.
“It did not surprise us because their quality is clear,” Popovic said. “Their power is clear. Their athleticism is clear. They are not surprising in what they did.”
Expectations will only increase for the U.S. as they rack up more victories and momentum builds around the team. The way the Americans have started the tournament in dominant fashion has not changed Pochettino’s perception of the team and what it is capable of, though.
“I think it’s much better when you show good performances and win the games,” Pochettino said. “I think that makes it easier, everything. But, at the same time, it’s (important) to keep believing.”
Still, the U.S. learned it can get out of the group stage without Pulisic. And, they have the roster to make a deep run in the tournament.
“We know how vital Christian is to the team and how much he can contribute in the game,” Freeman said. “For us it was, we have Ricardo Pepi, who came in and had an amazing game. I think that just shows how (good) our roster is.”
___

Note: This story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here.
It was a brilliant day for two of this year’s co-hosts with Canada recording its first ever World Cup win and Mexico becoming the first team to qualify for the knockout rounds this summer. Attention now naturally turns to the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) ahead of its second game of the tournament.
We’ll bring you everything you need to know about the match, including the thoughts of a US soccer legend. In addition, we’ll have all the latest news from another action-packed 24 hours, while looking ahead to matches involving Brazil and everyone’s favorite nation, Scotland.
The Main Thing: US manager Mauricio Pochettino wants the nation to “believe”
The start to Mauricio Pochettino’s life as USA manager wasn’t smooth sailing. From the very moment his position was announced, he had critics wondering whether he was the right man for the job, even questioning if an Argentinian should be managing the American team at a home World Cup.
The team’s form wasn’t great either. Rewind a year and the squad seemed to be in disarray: unhappy, fractured and in need of a total reset.
But while others started to panic, Pochettino remained calm. And now, heading into the team’s second match of the World Cup against Australia, he has some believing the US might go very deep in this tournament.
“All my conversations with the team over the past few weeks have been about what it means for us to be here, especially in terms of changing the team’s mindset,” Pochettino told reporters on the eve of the Australia clash. “We have to let people and fans believe in us, that’s the most important thing.”
Pochettino has instilled a real sense of unity within his squad. The star players seem happy, and everyone appears to be singing from the same hymn sheet.
For once, the pressure to help develop soccer in the country doesn’t appear to be weighing the players down. Their new manager has found a way of harnessing it and, if the first group game is anything to go by, using it to boost performance.
“There were lots of people at the stadium during the first match – some were there because they love football, but for others, it was their first time at a match. I hope that what we showed on the pitch with our performance really moved people,” winger Weston McKennie said.
“And I hope the same will happen tomorrow. We know that we are responsible for the growth of this sport here in America. The fans who come to the stadium to watch the team, hearing the national anthem, knowing you have people on your side supporting you – all of it inspires us.”
That team spirit will be tested against the Socceroos later today in what is expected to be a feisty, physical affair after what went down the last time these two teams played. Read more about that here.
USMNT vs. Australia
When? 3 p.m. ET
Where? Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field), Seattle, Washington, USA
It was a dream start for the USA last week, and the team will want to keep riding this wave of positivity. It was the forward play that caught the eye most in the first game, with the likes of Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun linking with so much speed and precision.
The co-host will be confident of putting in a repeat performance against an Australian side that is a bit of an unknown quantity. The Socceroos (great name) surprised many with their 2-0 win against Turkey in their opener but will have to deal with the US’ home support in Seattle – though they are inspired by the comments of a CBS Sports commentator named Mike Grella, an American who has infuriated all of Australia with his predictions of an easy USA victory.
The one fear for the Americans will be the fitness of star man Pulisic who picked up a minor injury in the first game. Pochettino told reporters yesterday that the winger was “much better” but said it would be a late call as to whether or not he can play against Australia.
We have a CNN Sports team in Seattle for the second match, and my colleague David Close describes what the atmosphere has been like in the buildup as he traveled from Atlanta.
On our five-hour flight from the southeast to the northwest of the US, there is more than a smattering of individuals wearing various US kits and hats, but the plane carrying us across about 10 state lines was far from the hyped scenes seen on social media posts over the last week.
No obvious Socceroo fans on this airborne vessel either, but hordes of inflatable kangaroo-carrying fanatics no doubt await us on the other side, as supporters only needed to make the short trip down to Seattle from neighboring Vancouver following the Aussies’ surprise upset win over Turkey last Friday.
We see a fan carrying an oversized marsupial as we arrive within the downtown area at our crew hotel – he’s getting berated by three card-carrying Americans shouting, “U-S-A!” on repeat.
That kind of noise and overt national pride will no doubt permeate throughout Lumen Field during Friday’s tilt. If the US wins this match, it will automatically qualify for the Round of 32. If it wins, coupled with Turkey failing to beat Paraguay in the other Group D clash, it will win the group. A draw or a loss here in Seattle will pile on the stress when the final group games play out next week.
Scotland vs. Morocco
When? 6 p.m. ET
Where? Boston Stadium (Gillette Stadium), Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA
Scotland has quickly become everyone’s second favorite team at this year’s World Cup, and that’s all to do with the team’s passionate supporters. The “Tartan Army,” as they’re called, has taken over Boston since the first match and videos of the fans’ street parties have been going viral all over social media.
Having held out to beat Haiti 1-0 in its first game, another win against Morocco would practically guarantee Scotland’s passage through to the knockout rounds. But the Europeans will face a far tougher test today and will need to drastically improve their performance.
The Atlas Lions outplayed Brazil for long passages in their first game but came away with a 1-1 draw. The African side likely settled for a point knowing Scotland and Haiti would be slightly easier fixtures on paper.
Quote of the Day
The words from Canada manager Jesse Marsch after his player Ismaël Koné suffered a horrendous injury in the co-host’s 6-0 win against Qatar yesterday.
The historic victory, the nation’s first ever in the World Cup, was overshadowed when the midfielder injured his leg in gruesome fashion following a clumsy challenge from Qatar’s Assim Madibo.
The look of shock on Koné’s face when he looked down at his leg showed the true extent of the injury. Marsch said he had heard the “bones snap” from where he was standing on the touchline.
Koné is set to undergo surgery after being taken to a nearby hospital.
WATCH: Merlin the Duck is Mexico’s unofficial World Cup mascot
A pet duck named Merlin has waddled his way into the hearts of soccer fans, becoming an unlikely unofficial mascot for Mexico at this year’s World Cup. CNN’s Valeria Leon speaks with his owners.
Brandi Chastain on USA’s “phenomenal” World Cup start
US soccer legend Brandi Chastain spoke to CNN Sports’ Don Riddell about the USMNT’s brilliant start to the tournament. Here’s Don with more:
The US team made a dream start to its World Cup campaign and Brandi Chastain will never forget it.
“I was at the men’s opener down in Los Angeles,” she told CNN Sports. “I think I lost my mind. So, if anyone finds it, send it to me please. It was phenomenal, this World Cup has been phenomenal.”
Chastain knows a thing or two about winning World Cups. It was her decisive penalty in a shootout to win the 1999 final against China that secured the second of four world titles for the US Women’s National Team and, thanks to her iconic celebration, nobody has ever forgotten that.
How often is she reminded of it?
“If only I had a dollar for every time,” she said of her spontaneous decision to rip off her jersey.
“It was completely organic,” she said. “I started my career as a striker; all I wanted to do was score goals. After getting cut from the national team for four years, I started as a defender. It was never in my mind that I would be the game-winning goal. I think when people see that picture, it conjures up some call to action or a reminder of how much fun it is, it makes them feel good.”
Chastain’s iconic celebration and the success of her team is being given a new lease of life in a Netflix dramatization called “The 99’ers,” but in the meantime, she’s hoping the men’s team can follow in their footsteps with a first world title this summer.
“Three teams from groups can move forward, and then it becomes a one-game tournament,” she said. “Anything is possible.”
After years of disappointment, this is why Scotland’s campaign means so much
It’s sometimes hard for soccer fans to express why the sport means so much to them, but Don Riddell tries to put pen to paper about Scotland’s World Cup journey.
You can’t get truly excited about a World Cup unless you’ve already experienced at least one of them before, and the more the merrier.
A tournament like this always triggers waves of nostalgia, often going all the way back to childhood. I was born in Edinburgh, and Scotland’s first World Cup appearance in 28 years has taken me all the way back to 1978 and 1982, the days when Scotland used dream of bringing home the trophy, instead always returning before the knockout stage; the Scots have never made it out of the groups.
I will always remember my dad leaping off the couch when David Narey scored against Brazil in ’82, screaming “GOAL!” clapping twice and turning up the volume. I’d never seen him show that kind of emotion, and although we settled back into the couch to see our team thrashed 4-1, a lifelong love affair was born.
Following Scotland at the World Cup is to dream an impossible dream. It’s been 28 years since their last appearance, but the older fans remember the feeling of heady optimism, an occasional tease of excitement and then crushing disappointment.
After a win against Haiti last week, the Scots face off against Morocco today and then have mighty Brazil on Wednesday in Miami – both of which they faced 28 years ago in France.
Three times in my childhood, from 1978 to 1986, Scotland were knocked out of the World Cup on goal difference alone. The wee boy inside me, and millions of other Scottish fans, are hoping that this time the game they love will not be so cruel.
Brazil vs. Haiti
When? 8:30 p.m. ET
Where? Philadelphia Stadium (Lincoln Financial Field), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
So much is expected of Brazil ahead of every World Cup, but the vibe just feels a little off with the current generation.
It really struggled in its first game and lacked any sense of the flair and dynamism that the Seleção has become known for. But while the team isn’t clicking, the squad still possesses enough individual talent to dig it out of tough situations. Vinícius Júnior did exactly that against Morocco, scoring with a wonderful shot that rescued at least a point.
It should have more joy against Haiti which, on paper at least, might struggle to hold Brazil’s attackers back. But evidence taken from its first match against Scotland suggests Les Grenadiers have weapons to hurt anyone. Another defeat, though, and they’re staring down the face of elimination.
Turkey vs. Paraguay
When? 11 p.m. ET
Where? San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi’s Stadium), Santa Clara, California, USA
Paraguay got absolutely torn apart by the USA in the first game and will need to seriously improve its performance to stand any chance against Turkey.
However, star player Julio Enciso showed glimpses of his talent even in the heavy defeat, and his nation will once again rely on him in its second match of the tournament.
Turkey also suffered in its first match, losing 2-0 to Australia in a shock result. The world No. 26 was considered one of the dark horses in the competition but now desperately needs to beat La Albirroja to start building momentum.
The Final Whistle: Fight for the right to Wave
We let our very own CNN Sports supervising editor Kyle Feldscher out on a day trip yesterday to watch South Africa draw 1-1 against the Czech Republic. And while the game served up some drama with a late equalizer from Bafana Bafana, something else caught his eye the most.
To Wave or not to Wave? That is the question facing many fans attending World Cup games this year on the continent from which the movement was born.
Here in Atlanta on Thursday, the first appearance of the Wave – called “The Mexican Wave” in lots of the rest of the world thanks to its global spread during the 1986 World Cup – came in the opening minutes, despite a hot start to the match thanks to an early goal from the Czech Republic.
Then it popped up again. And again. And again…
The Wave is usually a sign of crowd restlessness, a move for fans to entertain themselves when they aren’t being entertained by the event in front of them. In fairness, there were long stretches of South Africa-Czech Republic that were not entirely enthralling.
As the game headed into the final 15 minutes with Bafana Bafana chasing a desperately needed goal, that restlessness eased. When South Africa’s Teboho Mokoena blasted home a penalty that leveled things in the 83rd minute and Mercedes-Benz Stadium erupted at an ear-splitting decibel level, any thoughts of The Wave were well and truly forgotten.
Given the pretty penny that many spectators paid to be at the match – the get-in price was north of $500 a day before and the best seats were two or three times that – one might have expected the focus to be on the soccer.
But one could also argue that if you pay that much to get into an event, you can focus on whatever you want. And if that means standing and yelling “ooooOOOOOOoooo” with your hands in the air every few minutes, well, the World Cup is supposed to be a party, right?

Oliver Tree’s mom has paid a moving tribute days after her son was killed in a helicopter crash — while sharing a throwback photo of the “Alien Boy” singer looking dramatically different.
“Our dear son Oliver, you made this world a better place,” Christine Begin Nickell wrote on Facebook Thursday, after Tree was killed in a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“We are so proud of you. RIP,” she wrote along with three heart emojis, the middle one broken.
The proud mom shared the post along with a photo of the singer — best known for his quirky bowl-cut mullet hairstyle — as a fresh-faced youngster with a Justin Bieber-style haircut under a baseball cap, while holding a small dog.
The 32-year-old singer was one of six people killed Sunday when a Bell 206B JetRanger III helicopter collided with another aircraft about 300 feet above the Rio neighborhood of Recreio dos Bandeirantes.
Also killed were YouTube star Gaspar “Gaspi” Prim, 23, director and screenwriter Lucas Vignale, 29, music producer Lucas Brito Chaves, 21, and pilots Charles Marsillac and Alexandre Souza.
The crash sparked a fire at an electric vehicle dealership below, setting about 20 cars ablaze.
Tree’s girlfriend, fashion photographer Fiona Chernavskaya, also paid tribute this week while asking fans to stop speculating about their relationship.
“Right now im mourning my partner and best friend, anything else is unimportant. please have some respect,” she wrote on Instagram Wednesday.
“I don’t want to see gossip about other women that Oliver may have been seeing. We were monogamous,” she added.
The singer’s death also renewed attention on a recent interview in which he said he wouldn’t leave his family “a f–king penny” if he died.
“I don’t believe that any of the wealth, or the things that get made from it, is mine. So when I die, my will is set up that when I pass, my family, no one’s going to get a penny,” Tree said on the April 24 episode of “The Zach Sang Show.”
“If I have a wife or kids or anything, they’re not getting a f–king penny,” he added.
“I’ll get my kids through college. That’s the agreement. But there’s not going to be a silver spoon.”
“The idea is, when I die, all the money is going to go back to artists.”
Tree, who had more than 11 million monthly Spotify listeners, had completed four dates on his global “World’s First World Tour” before the fatal crash.

Key events
Gary Woodland’s story has been well documented but is worth repeating. Earlier this year he went public with his mental struggle with PTSD, a byproduct of brain surgery to remove a lesion in September 2023. It’s a constant battle for the popular American so it was wonderful to see him win the Houston Open in March – his first victory on the PGA Tour in nearly seven years. The US Open has always been special for him as he won the event at one of golf’s great cathedrals, Pebble Beach, in 2019.
And could Woodland be on track for a second US Open win? He’s made a fantastic start, following up an opening 67 with a birdie at the 1st today after putting his approach to inside three feet. He has work to do at the 2nd though after finding sand and splashing out to 10 feet. His putt just misses left after drifting across the hole and he returns to -3 and in a tie for third. Here’s the latest leaderboard:
-6: Clark (2)
-4: D Johnson (2)
-3: M Fitzpatrick (2), Woodland (2), Cowan (5)
Share
Viktor Hovland and Niklas Norgaard are both wearing vertical striped black and white trousers that, let’s be honest, scream butcher’s apron rather than high fashion. “A pound of sausages and half a pound of mince,” says Ewen Murray in the Sky commentary box as Hovland putts from off the green at 2. The Norwegian’s first effort pulls up short but he saves his bacon by holing a six-footer for par.
Share
No rest for our leaders. Wyndham Clark (leader), Dustin Johnson (solo second) and Gary Woodland (tied third) are all playing in the same group again. That three-ball of former US Open champs shot a combined 13-under in round one which, quite frankly, is astonishing at a Shinnecock playing as tough as ever. They’re starting at Hole 1 today.
Matt Fitzpatrick (tied third) has also got his second lap underway and just missed a 19-foot birdie putt at the 1st. The 2021 Brookline winner is one group ahead of the Clark-DJ-Woodland three-ball and the Englishman has Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland for company. Two-time US Open champion DeChambeau (2020 and 2024) shot an even par 70 in round one but Hovland had a miserable first circuit of Shinnecock, racking up six bogeys and not a single birdie in a 6-over 76. A shame that as Hovland came in on the back of a third place in Canada last week – his best finish of the season.
Share
I’m enjoying the name of one of the players in tied fifth. Spencer Tibbits is a former Oregon State standout but sounds more like he hangs about with Neville Thumbcatch in the the late 60s. Tibbits actually qualified for the US Open at Pebble Beach as an amateur in 2019. Anyway, he’s making an ‘Attack’ on the leaderboard.
Share
What about the weather today? I’ll give you how it’s described in USA Today. Kind of cutesy.
Friday, June 19: Stiff winds with clouds giving way to sun; gusty winds will continue to pose problems for golfers.
Saturday, June 20: Stiff winds with plenty of sunshine; gusty winds will continue to pose problems for golfers.
Sunday, June 21: Times of clouds and sunshine; nice for Father’s Day activities.
Do these activities include telling your kids to leave you alone as you’re watching the golf?
Share
Overnight leader Wyndham Clark pars the final two holes via a pair of short putts and posts the clubhouse lead of 6-under 64. Well played that man! But look at the bunch behind him – a trio of fellow former US Open winners. Dustin Johnson, the champion at Oakmont in 2016, has picked up shots at 7 and 9 this morning to shoot 66 and cut Clark’s overnight lead in half. Meanwhile, the 2023 Brookline winner, Matt Fitzpatrick, and 2019 Pebble Beach hero Gary Woodland both finished birdie-par at 8 and 9 when returning to the course and they’re just three back.
And, lo and behold, there’s a fifth former US Open champion who is in the bunch at -2. Jon Rahm still has three to play so still has the chance to improve his score. In the meantime, some players have already started round two. That includes amateur Ryder Cowan, who has started par-par to remain at -2.
Here’s what I guess we’re calling the second-round leaderboard. I’ve put in some random syllable (^) to show that Rahm is still playing his first round. If that’s not the right convention, sue me.
-6: Clark (-)
-4: D Johnson (-)
-3: M Fitzpatrick (-), Woodland (-)
-2: Cowan (2), Stevens (-), Rahm (15*^), McGreevy
Share
While we wait for Clark and others to finish, here’s Bryan Armen Graham’s report of the day one action.
Share
Preamble
Hello everyone! The pace of play at a US Open is always sloooow and the grind wasn’t helped by a two-hour fog delay on Thursday morning. It meant many of those in the afternoon wave didn’t compete their rounds.
So they’re heading out again this morning and that includes the runaway leader Wyndham Clark. Anything under the par of 70 was considered excellent in the tough Thursday conditions but 2023 US Open champion Clark somehow got to -6 through his first 16 holes before bad light stopped play. Can he stay there, or go even lower, when he finishes up early this morning? We’ll find out shortly.
Share

President Donald Trump’s pick for acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, showed up at his new job a day early on Thursday after asking for a list of every employee in the office so he could assess whether to fire them, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
The sources said Pulte is eyeing to cut hundreds of jobs at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
Pulte’s appearance at ODNI on Thursday caught staff off-guard, including the outgoing director, Tulsi Gabbard, who was given a brief heads up on the visit. Trump himself has said that Pulte, who is a Trump loyalist with no intelligence experience, would start his job on Friday.
Pulte met with lawyers and staffers during his visit, the sources told CNN.
In his only other briefing with ODNI last week, Pulte asked staff if he could bring the President’s Daily Brief to his house, raising alarm bells among intelligence officials, according to one of the sources. That briefing is a highly classified set of intelligence on key national security matters of the day. The second source pushed back on this characterization, noting that the PDB is provided electronically. The PDB is generally offered to select officials via tablet or hard copy.
Pulte also asked about his level of security clearance — whether it was a top-secret — and if he had access to a government plane, the first source said, even though the briefing was meant to explain the core mission of ODNI to Pulte.
CNN has reached out to the White House and ODNI for comment.
CNN previously reported that before Pulte was announced to lead the US intelligence community, he did not have a security clearance granting him access to highly-classified information — meaning he lacked what has long been considered a basic prerequisite for the job.
Another source familiar told CNN that Pulte has repeatedly inquired about his schedule and whether he gets his own government plane, appearing almost overly fixated on his ability to travel between DC, Florida and Chicago — between which he splits his time.
“That was a bit odd,” the source said about Pulte’s questions related to his schedule and the demands of the job.
Pulte had also asked for a protective security detail even before starting the job, according to the first source.
The episodes, which have not previously been reported, indicate that Pulte feels empowered to begin his tenure as spy chief in an aggressive fashion. Trump has already given him a mandate to further shrink the intelligence community and pursue the president’s false claims of election fraud.
There is concern from Democrats — and some Republicans — on Capitol Hill that he is unfit for the job and that he could go further than Gabbard did in embracing Trump’s grievances in what is supposed to be an apolitical role.
Democratic Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, reacted strongly to CNN’s new reporting and said his committee will “closely scrutinize” Pulte’s actions.
“If the reports of Bill Pulte’s arrival at ODNI are true, they demonstrate why he should never spend a minute as Director of National Intelligence, a role he is legally not qualified to perform. I am particularly concerned by reporting that he may undertake a sweeping firing of intelligence professionals, following on major cuts already undertaken last year,” Himes said in a statement.
Pulte’s standing in Trump’s eyes grew over the last year when, as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, he sent the Justice Department criminal referrals on allegations of mortgage fraud against multiple Democrats who have pushed investigations into Trump. Now, critics fear, the 38-year-old former businessman will have an even bigger platform to pursue Trump’s vendettas.
“This isn’t something to overthink — President Trump wanted someone in that position who is a true loyalist, who will do what he wants him to do. He has that in Bill,” one source close to Pulte previously told CNN.
Now, Pulte takes the job overseeing 18 intelligence agencies as the US and Iran enter an agreement to end a four-month war in which Gabbard played an unusually marginal role for a spy chief. He also enters a job that Gabbard has used to hunt for evidence of voter fraud around the 2020 election that Trump lost. That pursuit risked crossing a crucial line between foreign and domestic intelligence activities instituted after Watergate, former intelligence officials and election law experts have told CNN.
Even before Thursday, Pulte was eager to start as acting DNI. He called Gabbard last week and told her that he was taking over, two sources familiar with the phone call told CNN. Gabbard, who had been assured by the White House that she would remain in the post through the end of the month, was shocked and told Pulte she would need to hear it from Trump himself. Later, Gabbard spoke to Trump who asked her what day would work for her to depart the office, and the two settled on June 19. (Axios first reported that exchange.)
On Thursday, Pulte tried to attend Gabbard’s send-off ceremony at ODNI and asked to speak, the source familiar with the episode indicated.
Pulte’s elevation within Trump’s orbit has even irked some of Trump’s closest advisers and allies. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has kept a tight circle around the president, one that Pulte has completely circumvented through direct calls to the president.
“Every weekend, every trip — he makes sure he is by the president’s side,” one Trump adviser told CNN.
Trump has said Pulte will remain director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency while serving as acting director of national intelligence (DNI). The move left many intelligence professionals scratching their heads because the spy chief is not considered a part-time job.
Pulte could have more time than anticipated as acting DNI after disarray this week in the nomination process for Trump’s permanent pick for the role, Jay Clayton. Trump directed Clayton to skip his own confirmation on Wednesday over a bitter dispute on Capitol Hill over a lapsed surveillance law, among other issues.
Pressed on the status of Clayton’s nomination, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said: “I’ve never been asked to slow a nomination down before, so that’s probably a good question for the White House.”
Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton issued a rare statement of disapproval at Trump’s move, calling it “regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today.”
A senior Senate GOP aide told CNN: “There’s a lot of frustration in the conference. We want to support and advance the President’s agenda but it’s getting more difficult to do with the consistent curve balls out of left field.”
Pulte did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday. CNN has requested comment on Pulte’s priorities for his new job from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
GOP Sen. Mike Rounds, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he does not know what Pulte’s priorities will be on the job and emphasized that the goal should be looking past Pulte’s tenure and getting Clayton in the job permanently as quickly as possible.
“I’ve had no interaction with him for months” Rounds said of Pulte. “I think the most important thing for us is to get Jay in as quickly as possible as the Director of National Intelligence.”
Trump told reporters this month that Pulte “may find out some things about the rigged elections … I think he wants to do it very much.”
For election officials, it reinforced a fear that the undermining of confidence in elections from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence may not stop with Gabbard’s departure.
“DNI Gabbard, whose role regarding elections is limited to foreign interference, spent 18 months and untold taxpayer dollars and resources trying to give substance to lies about the 2020 election … and found absolutely nothing,” said David Becker, an election law expert who is executive director of the nonprofit and nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research.
Becker, who works with election officials from both parties, said he worries that “Pulte has been hand-picked to replace her precisely because he too embraces the lies and conspiracy theories while ignoring the evidence.”
This story has been updated with additional information.