President Donald Trump said Thursday that he plans to nominate adjunct University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Wharton School professor Jay Clayton as the next director of national intelligence.
Clayton — who is also a 1988 Engineering graduate and 1993 Penn Carey Law graduate — has served as the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York since April 2025. Trump announced the nomination on social media amid pressure from Congress to name a permanent replacement for Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned last month.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science in economics.
During Trump’s first presidency, Clayton served as the chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In the role, he addressed developments in the economy resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, and the digitization of assets.
From March 2021 to April 2025, Clayton served as the non-executive chair and lead independent director of Apollo Global Management, the asset management firm co-founded by Marc Rowan.
A request for comment was left with Clayton.
Trump faced intense pushback over his decision to name Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director.
The situation has led to a standoff in Congress as Democrats said they would refuse to renew a foreign intelligence powers unless Trump pulled Pulte’s nomination and named a permanent nominee.
“Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay,” Trump wrote. “I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible.”
Staff reporter James Wan covers academic affairs and can be reached at wan@thedp.com. At Penn, he studies communication and computer science. Follow him on X @JamesWan__.
