Donald Trump embarked on his presidential campaign with the intention of revamping the nation’s law enforcement structures. His choice of Dan Bongino, a prominent right-wing podcaster, for the role of Deputy Director of the FBI underscores the potential magnitude of this transformation.
Bongino’s background is anything but conventional; he previously worked as a police officer in New York City and served as a Secret Service agent. However, he lacks direct experience with the FBI and has never overseen an operation of its scale. Over the last decade, his career has been defined by his media presence and the narratives he has created as a polarizing figure. “My entire life right now is about owning the libs,” Bongino stated in 2018. “That’s it.”
This shift in leadership style marks a break from the past, where the FBI’s second-in-command was typically a low-key bureaucrat with minimal public exposure. In contrast, Trump’s administration has appointed a fiercely loyal right-wing advocate who actively advances the president’s agenda.
“This aligns perfectly with other appointments in this administration,” commented a Trump advisor. “They’re looking for dynamic individuals who can effectively communicate on screen. When you find someone with those abilities who also aligns ideologically with the administration, that’s a winning formula.”
Trump’s announcement of Bongino’s appointment came just three days after Kash Patel, another conservative figure, was confirmed as the new FBI Director. For supporters of the MAGA movement, the emergence of yet another Trump loyalist in a significant role within the country’s primary law enforcement agency is a thrilling development. “This shows that President Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel are committed to reforming the Justice Department and, notably, the FBI,” remarked Mike Davis, a Trump supporter and founder of the conservative Article III Project. “It feels like Christmas every day with the Trump 47 administration.”
Conversely, Bongino’s ascent is cause for concern for many. His combative rhetoric, combined with Trump’s history of retribution, raises fears that Bongino’s aggressive approach could lead to serious injustices. “When the focus shifts from investigating crimes based on established criteria to targeting individuals, that’s a troubling issue,” warned a former FBI official who wished to remain anonymous to avoid backlash. Additionally, since Bongino’s role does not require Senate confirmation, critics find it challenging to contest his appointment.
Traditionally, the Deputy Director of the FBI oversees both domestic and international operations, a role typically held by a seasoned agent with extensive experience. This position is highly regarded within the FBI, having once been held by Mark Felt, famously known as “Deep Throat,” the whistleblower who assisted in exposing the Watergate scandal.
Before introducing new leadership, Trump had already begun to assert his influence over the FBI and its personnel. In recent weeks, the Justice Department has removed several senior officials and sought names of FBI staff involved in the investigations surrounding the January 6 Capitol riot. While interim leaders Brian Driscoll and Robert Kissane resisted these pressures, the appointment of Patel and Bongino has led many to speculate that their time is limited and that a new direction for the FBI is imminent. Changes are already underway, as Patel was set to be sworn in while FBI leadership announced plans to reassign up to 1,500 agents from the Washington headquarters to regional offices across the country.
Bongino’s rise within the FBI is unprecedented. He has made three unsuccessful attempts to run for Congress, ultimately leveraging those campaigns into a platform that propelled him into the upper ranks of right-wing media. After moving to Florida in 2015, he launched a podcast from home that quickly gained a substantial following. Since then, he has become a regular commentator on Fox News and a significant voice in the online conservative community. In October 2020, his posts on Facebook were among the most shared content on the platform, according to analytics from CrowdTangle.
Throughout his journey, Bongino has remained a loyal supporter of Trump, even during challenging periods for the former president. In 2021, while hosting a weekend program on Fox News, Bongino invited Trump to appear at a time when the network was distancing itself from him. Documents released in a lawsuit alleging that Fox propagated misinformation about the Dominion voting system revealed that Rupert Murdoch, the network’s owner, sought to diminish Trump’s presence. “Fox News is very busy pivoting,” he wrote in an email to a former Fox executive on January 8, 2021. “We want to make Trump a nonperson.”
Bongino left Fox News in April 2023 to concentrate on his podcast, which ranks among the most popular in the nation, according to Spotify. His impact on the conservative media landscape was underscored when he was assigned the same radio time slot as Rush Limbaugh. Through this platform, Bongino has vociferously opposed COVID-19 mandates, promoted unfounded claims about the 2020 election being stolen, and advocated for the America First agenda. “Keep in mind,” noted the Trump advisor, “this guy has been advocating for the President to millions for the last seven or eight years.”
After winning the 2024 election, Trump looked for a position for Bongino within the government, initially considering him for the role of Secret Service Director, according to a source familiar with Trump’s thinking. Ultimately, he opted to place Bongino in the FBI alongside Patel.
For Trump’s supporters, the duo represents a significant opportunity to reshape U.S. law enforcement. “FBI agents are accountable to the President and his political appointees, not the other way around,” Davis stated. Critics, however, express concern over the FBI’s traditional independence. “Is it realistic to expect these men to suddenly become objective and impartial overseers of investigations?” questioned the former FBI agent. “It’s conceivable, but it seems unlikely given the current trajectory.”
One thing is certain: both supporters and critics of Trump will be closely watching how Patel and Bongino wield the considerable authority granted to them by the President.
