No, Trump Did Not Pick Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence — He Was Nominated for a Completely Different Job
“Trump announced he picked Jay Clayton to be the permanent director of national intelligence”
The argument in brief
A claim circulated that Trump chose Jay Clayton to be the permanent Director of National Intelligence. This is false. Trump nominated Jay Clayton to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York — a completely different role. Trump picked Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, and the Senate confirmed her in that position in February 2025.
Why it spread
Trump announced many high-profile nominations in rapid succession after the 2024 election. With so many names and titles flying around on social media at once, it was easy for people to accidentally swap a name from one announcement into the wrong role. The mistake likely started as an honest mix-up and then got shared widely before anyone stopped to verify the details.
The claim that Trump selected Jay Clayton as his permanent Director of National Intelligence is false. Clayton was nominated for a separate, unrelated position, and a different person entirely was chosen to lead the intelligence community.
According to Reuters and The New York Times, Trump nominated Jay Clayton — the former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission — to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. That is a federal prosecutorial role, not an intelligence one. The two jobs have nothing to do with each other.
For Director of National Intelligence, Trump chose Tulsi Gabbard. NBC News reported her nomination in November 2024, and AP News confirmed the Senate approved her for the role in February 2025. Gabbard now leads the Office of the Director of National Intelligence — not Clayton.
To be fair to those who got confused: Trump made a large number of cabinet and staffing announcements in a short window after the 2024 election. Clayton's name was genuinely in the news at the same time as other picks, which created real opportunity for mix-ups. But the roles are distinct, the nominees are different people, and the public record is clear on both.
This kind of error is worth catching because misidentifying who holds a senior national security post is not a small mix-up. When false claims spread uncorrected, they muddy public understanding of who is actually accountable for major government decisions. If you see a claim about a specific appointment, check a primary news source that names both the person and the exact role before sharing.
Sources
- Reuters
Trump nominated Jay Clayton to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), not as Director of National Intelligence.
- NBC News
Trump selected Tulsi Gabbard to be his Director of National Intelligence, not Jay Clayton.
- The New York Times
Jay Clayton, former SEC chairman, was nominated by Trump to be the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, a distinct role from Director of National Intelligence.
- AP News
Tulsi Gabbard was confirmed by the Senate as Director of National Intelligence in February 2025, following Trump's nomination of her for that role.
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