Tbh they probably just told him how many times we almost had a nuclear war or something that the public doesn't know about. Spooks have their own incentives too you know, they probably want to scare the president within reason so that they have some continued sway over him. Like "we are necessary and you have no idea how dangerous the world is". If they do a good job then I'm sure most presidents say "ok, you guys handle all that and I'll trust you and give you the resources you need", and then the spooks run their little bureaucratic fiefdoms and continue grifting state money and kidnapping random people overseas.