President Donald Trump has been back in office for almost four months now. But in that time, he has only attended 12 in-person intelligence briefings—the kind where top officials explain threats and updates from around the world. That’s much fewer than during his first term, and people in the intelligence world are worried.
These briefings are called the President’s Daily Brief, or PDB. They are prepared by top U.S. intelligence agencies and are meant to warn the president about dangers to the country, such as war, spying, or terror threats.
During his first term, Trump got the PDB about twice a week. But now, according to his public schedule, he’s only sitting for them about once a week — and sometimes even less.
Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement:
“It’s sadly clear that President Trump doesn’t value the expertise of and dangerous work performed by our intelligence professionals each and every day, and unfortunately, it leaves the American people increasingly vulnerable to threats we ought to see coming.”
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That’s a strong warning.
Trump is currently dealing with huge world problems. There are wars in Gaza and Ukraine. There are rising threats from China, Russia, and Iran. This is precisely when a president should sit down for daily briefings.
Instead, Trump has chosen a different style. He often skips the official briefings and talks directly to people like John Ratcliffe and Mike Waltz (until Waltz was fired recently). He also makes a lot of calls himself to get information in his way.
“The president is constantly apprised of classified briefings,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said. “The entire intelligence community actively informs President Trump in real-time.”
But former intelligence officials are not convinced. The PDB is more than facts. It includes context—the kind of information that helps a president understand what’s really going on.
“The point of having an $80 billion intelligence service is to inform the president to avert a strategic surprise,” one former CIA analyst said.
Another former official added, “The advantage of an IC briefer is its somebody who is trained to tell the hard truths to the president.”
That’s important. These briefers are trained to speak clearly and honestly, even when the truth doesn’t match what the president wants.
Some past presidents took the PDB very seriously. George W. Bush had daily briefings almost every day. Barack Obama read the PDB book carefully and met often with his security team to discuss it. Even President Joe Biden got one or two briefings each week and used the book to hold deep discussions.
In a 2020 book by former CIA officer John Helgerson, officials said Trump liked briefings with pictures, maps, and simple stories. He did not like reading the daily reports and paid more attention when things were shown to him visually.
The fewer briefings a president receives, the more disconnected he can become from world events. When decisions are made without full knowledge, the risks can grow.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
