Trump on Bongino: “Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show.” pic.twitter.com/2TgvACHvMI

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 17, 2025

Trump’s comments followed earlier reporting from MS Now that Bongino has told confidants he plans to step down from his role early next year. The outlet reported that Bongino does not intend to return to FBI headquarters this month and has considered announcing his departure as soon as Friday. The FBI declined to comment, and Bongino himself brushed off inquiries, telling MS Now, “Print whatever you’d like. No one believes you anyway.”

Bongino serves as the FBI’s No. 2 official under Director Kash Patel, a post Trump chose him for based on his years of experience in the Secret Service, after which he became a popular conservative political personality and host of one of Rumble’s largest podcasts.

A former New York police officer and Secret Service agent, Bongino was a fixture in conservative media before joining the administration and was known for publicly entertaining conspiracy theories, including claims that the Jan. 6, 2021, placement of pipe bombs in Washington was an “inside job.” Since his time in the bureau, Bongino has distanced himself from his previous comments and notably took the stance that the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in his prison cell despite previously questioning the circumstances of his death.

Earlier this month, Bongino’s colleagues touted his role in the arrest of Brian Cole Jr., charged with making and planting the pipe bombs, nearly five years after they were discovered. Bongino acknowledged that his prior commentary suspecting the participation of federal officials in the pipe bomb attack came from his time as a paid commentator. “That’s not what I’m paid for now,” Bongino said in a Fox News interview. “We base investigations on facts.”

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The prospect of Bongino’s exit would leave the FBI’s second-in-command position open, though the Trump administration earlier this year added former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey as a co-deputy director, raising the possibility of a swift internal transition.

The timing is notable. Friday, when Bongino is reportedly weighing an announcement, also marks the deadline for the administration to comply with a bipartisan law requiring the release of federal files related to the Epstein investigations, an issue that almost led to an earlier departure by Bongino in July over differences with Attorney General Pam Bondi, despite his decision to remain at the bureau an additional six months.