Bannon calls for ICE to 'surround the polls' in 2026 midterms, raising voter intimidation concerns

Steve Bannon said on his War Room podcast on Feb. 4, 2026, that ICE agents should "surround the polls" during the November midterm elections. He said he wouldn't stop at ICE and called for deploying the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions under the Insurrection Act.

Bannon's comments came one day after Trump told The Dan Bongino Show that Republicans should "nationalize the voting" and "take over" elections in at least 15 places. Trump repeated this on Feb. 5 in the Oval Office, saying states that can't run elections should have the federal government step in.

Federal law makes it a crime punishable by up to five years in prison to deploy "troops or armed men" to any location where voting takes place, unless necessary to repel armed enemies. The Brennan Center for Justice said voter intimidation by federal agents violates multiple federal criminal statutes.

Bannon claimed without evidence that undocumented immigrants are voting in large numbers in Minnesota and New York City. Studies consistently show noncitizen voting is extremely rare. In Georgia, authorities found eight noncitizens who voted fraudulently out of millions of ballots cast.

Several Republican senators distanced themselves from Trump's comments. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he supports voter ID but is "not in favor of federalizing elections" and called it "a constitutional issue." Sen. Rand Paul also pushed back.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-CT) called Bannon's comments "a red alert moment" and said Congress needs to "start working to protect polling places from Trump's paramilitary ICE goons before it's too late." Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said Trump "can't win the 2026 election, so he's putting in place a plan to steal it."

The Constitution gives states, not the federal government, primary authority over how elections are conducted. Article I, Section 4 gives states the power to set the "times, places, and manner" of elections, with Congress having override authority but not the president.

Trump has already used federal agents in election-related actions. The FBI seized more than 650 boxes of 2020 election materials from Fulton County, Georgia. Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded Minnesota hand over voter rolls in exchange for withdrawing ICE agents after ICE killed two U.S. citizens — Renée Good and Alex Pretti — during operations in the state.

Democrats have performed well in recent elections, and polls show Republicans face potential losses in 2026 midterms. Trump has suggested on multiple occasions that the midterm elections should be "canceled" outright.