Bannon calls for ICE to "surround the polls" in 2026 midterms as Trump calls for nationalizing elections

Steve Bannon said on his War Room podcast on February 4, 2026, that ICE agents should "surround the polls" during the November 2026 midterm elections and called for deploying the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions under the Insurrection Act to monitor voting. His comments came one day after President Trump told The Dan Bongino Show that Republicans should "nationalize the voting" and "take over" elections in at least 15 places. Federal law at 18 U.S.C. § 592 makes deploying "troops or armed men" to polling locations a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. The Brennan Center for Justice confirmed that voter intimidation by federal agents violates multiple federal criminal statutes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Sen. Rand Paul distanced themselves from the nationalization proposal.