President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that Dan Bongino, the Deputy Director of the FBI, will step down from his position to return to his broadcasting career. “He’s heading back to his show,” Trump stated, confirming Bongino’s departure.

According to various media outlets, Bongino’s exit will take place in the upcoming weeks.

Insiders revealed to The New York Times that Bongino has begun packing up personal items from his Washington, DC office. These belongings are being shipped to Florida, where Bongino intends to resume his role as a pro-Trump commentator in the lead-up to the midterm elections.

Previously, Bongino left a successful media career, having been a podcaster and Fox News host, to serve in the Trump administration earlier this year.

Throughout his short stint in government, Bongino has expressed mixed feelings about his position and has faced internal conflicts, notably with Attorney General Pam Bondi over her management of the Epstein files.

‘Dan did a great job, I think he wants to go back to his show,’ Trump told reporters Wednesday, speaking as if Bongino’s tenure had already concluded.  

Bongino’s reported intention to step down comes just two days before the deadline to release the Epstein files on Friday. 

In May, Bongino candidly admitted that the demands of the role were straining the relationship with his wife, Paula, 50, who lives in Florida with their two daughters. The pair have been married since around 2003.

In May, Bongino candidly admitted that the demands of the role were straining the relationship with his wife, Paula, 50, who lives in Florida with their two daughters. The pair have been married since around 2003

‘I gave up everything for this. I mean, you know, my wife is struggling,’ he told Fox & Friends. ‘I stare at these four walls all day in DC, you know, by myself, divorced from my wife. Not divorced, but I mean, separated. And it’s hard.’

He said he didn’t didn’t enjoy the work, while noting that he was proud to serve the president.

‘People ask me all the time, “Do you like it?” I say, “No, I don’t.”‘ He added that it was challenging for his family but noted that ‘the president didn’t ask me to do this to like it.’ 

A major flashpoint came in July, when Bongino clashed with Bondi over the the Justice Department’s conclusion that no Epstein ‘client list’ existed – contradicting years of theories that he had promoted on his show.

Reports at the time described a tense stand-off where Bondi accused Bongino of leaking on her. He took days off work, considered resigning amid the furor and told allies that the AG had ‘overpromised and underdelivered.’

The controversy highlighted a tension between his past as a right-wing podcaster and now as a top law enforcement official.

Following the January 6 pipe bomb arrest that the FBI announced earlier this month, Bongino revealed to Sean Hannity how the role had changed his interpretation of high-profile investigations.

‘I was paid in the past, Sean, for my opinions … one day I’ll be back in that space, but that’s not what I’m paid for now. I’m paid to be your deputy director, and we base investigations on facts,’ Bongino told the Fox anchor after being asked about a November 2024 episode where he claimed the pipe bomb was a set-up.

The FBI deputy chief had considered making his departure announcement at a press conference related to the pipe bomb arrest, according to the Times.

The timing of his resignation remains fluid, however the decision to ship his belongings to Florida means that he is firmly committed to quitting, sources said.

Bongino’s departure would heap more pressure on Kash Patel amid the mounting outrage over the Brown University shooting. 

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino (L), accompanied by, Attorney General Pam Bondi (C), and FBI Director Kash Patel (R), speaks during a news conference on an arrest of a suspect in the January 6th pipe bomber at the Department of Justice on December 4

The FBI boss on Sunday prematurely announced that a suspect in the mass shooting had been arrested – only for him to be set free hours later.

The manhunt entered its fifth day on Wednesday as Patel was slammed for the latest blunder, echoing the prior mishandling of the Charlie Kirk assassination investigation.

The FBI declined to comment.