White House Dismisses Bannon's Call for ICE at Polling Stations

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says President Trump has never considered deploying federal agents at voting sites.

Feb. 5, 2026 at 9:31pm

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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday dismissed a proposal by former Trump strategist Steve Bannon to have Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers surround polling locations during the November midterm elections. Leavitt said she was unaware of President Trump ever entertaining that idea and called it a "silly hypothetical question." Bannon had earlier declared "You're damn right we're going to have ICE surround the polls come November," framing it as a response to what he described as past election theft.

Why it matters

Bannon's remarks highlight ongoing concerns about potential voter intimidation tactics and efforts to undermine confidence in election integrity, particularly in the wake of Trump's false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential race. The White House's dismissal of the proposal aims to reassure the public that the administration does not intend to deploy federal agents at polling sites, which could deter voter participation.

The details

On Thursday, a reporter at the White House press briefing referenced Bannon's comments and asked if the president is considering having ICE agents present at polling or voting sites in November. Leavitt responded that she was unaware of the president ever entertaining that idea, calling it a "very silly hypothetical question." She said she could not guarantee that an ICE agent won't be around a polling location, but insisted she has not heard the president discuss any formal plans to put ICE outside of polling locations, dismissing the line of questioning as "disingenuous."

  • On Tuesday, February 3, former White House strategist Steve Bannon said he wants Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers surrounding polling locations during the November midterm elections.
  • On Thursday, February 5, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed Bannon's remarks during a press briefing.

The players

Karoline Leavitt

The White House Press Secretary who dismissed Bannon's proposal as a "silly hypothetical" and said she has not heard President Trump discuss any formal plans to deploy federal agents at polling sites.

Steve Bannon

The former White House strategist and podcaster who called for ICE officers to "surround the polls" during the November midterm elections, framing it as a response to what he described as past election theft.

Donald Trump

The former president who has repeatedly made false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election and recently renewed his call for Republicans to "take over the voting" in at least 15 places.

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What they’re saying

“That's not something I've ever heard the president consider, no.”

— Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary (meaww.com)

“You're damn right we're going to have ICE surround the polls come November.”

— Steve Bannon, Former White House Strategist (meaww.com)

“The Republicans should say, we should take over the voting in at least many—15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”

— Donald Trump (meaww.com)

The takeaway

The White House's dismissal of Bannon's proposal to deploy ICE agents at polling sites aims to reassure the public that the administration does not intend to engage in voter intimidation tactics, despite ongoing concerns about efforts to undermine confidence in election integrity. However, Trump's continued false claims of widespread fraud and calls for Republicans to "take over the voting" in multiple states suggest that the threat of politicizing the electoral process remains a significant concern heading into the midterm elections.