Who is Dan Bongino? The right-wing podcaster and failed Congressman who is now Trump’s deputy FBI director

‘Dan Bongino, a man of incredible love and passion for our Country, has just been named the next DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE FBI’ wrote Trump on Truth Social Sunday. Dan Bongino, a former U.S. Secret Service agent turned right-wing media darling, has been tapped by President Donald Trump as the new FBI deputy director.

Trump announced the appointment in a Truth Social on Sunday declaring Bongino as a man with “incredible love and passion for our country” and as someone who would work well under new FBI chief and “best ever Director” Kash Patel. Trump championed Bongino in his social media post saying: “He was a member of the New York Police Department (New York’s Finest!), a highly respected Special Agent with the United States Secret Service, and is now one of the most successful Podcasters in the Country, something he is willing and prepared to give up in order to serve.”.

“Working with our great new United States Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and Director Patel, Fairness, Justice, Law and Order will be brought back to America, and quickly. Congratulations Dan!”, Trump continued. Bongino, 50, was an NYPD officer for two years before joining the Secret Service in 1999, going on to serve in the protection details for former U.S. presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Bongino left the Secret Service in 2011 to mount a campaign to run for a Senate seat in Maryland. At the same time, he launched his media career with various incarnations of a radio show that would later become The Dan Bongino Show, which is now hosted on Rumble.

He began contributing political commentary on Fox News soon after his departure from the Secret Service and had a Saturday night show “Canceled in the USA” with the network from 2021 to 2023. The show saw him interviewing people who he believed had been “canceled” by the media over their opinions.

During that time, Bongino’s channel was banned from YouTube over the proliferation of Covid-19 conspiracy theories on his channels. He announced he was departing the news network after failing to agree on a new contract in April of 2023. Bongino has also spoken openly on his various platforms about his battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma, first diagnosed in September 2020. He declared that he had “beaten cancer” in July 2021.

In addition to his failed Senate run in 2012, Bongino also sought congressional seats in 2014 and 2016 in Maryland and Florida, after moving to the Sunshine State in 2015. He lost the three races. Bongino, a husband and father of two, became a key player in MAGA circles after he spread false information about the 2020 election.

The former agent will serve under staunch Trump loyalist Kash Patel who was narrowly confirmed by the Senate on Thursday. Patel made headlines after he snubbed Elon Musk Sunday and told his agency employees to ignore an email from the Tesla billionaire that demanded staff list off their weeks’ achievements as part of auditing of government efficiency.