Who is Dan Bongino? Trump names right-wing commentator as deputy FBI director - who is he married to and what's his dispute with Stephen King?
US President Donald Trump has appointed right-wing commentator Dan Bongino as deputy director of the FBI.
Trump posted on social media that Bongino was "a man of incredible love and passion for our Country" and would serve under newly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel. Bongino, 50, is former NYPD and Secret Service and worked as part of the protection detail for two presidents - George W Bush and Barack Obama.
He hosts a self-titled podcast whose Facebook posts often attract more attention than those of Fox News and CNN combined. Trump said in his social media announcement on Sunday that Bongino is "willing and prepared to give up" the podcast "in order to serve".
"Fairness, Justice, Law and Order will be brought back to America, and quickly," Trump added. He said Bongino would do an "incredible job" at the FBI. Bongino, who has run for Congress three times, hosted the now-president on his daily podcast, The Dan Bongino Show, ahead of last year's election.
Episodes of his programme from the last week include titles such as "Trump Keeps Delivering And The Libs Are Seething" and "The Only People Who Love Crime Are Criminals!!!". Bongino, 50, served with the New York police department before joining the Secret Service, where he worked on the protective details of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. After leaving government service, he transitioned into political commentary, becoming one of the most influential voices in right-wing media.
His podcast, The Dan Bongino Show, regularly garners more engagement on social media than mainstream outlets like Fox News and CNN. Bongino was born and raised in Queens, New York, but comes from an Italian-American background.
He is married to Paula Andrea Martinez, a Colombian native, and the couple has two daughters, Isabel and Amelia. In 2023, Bongino made headlines after alleging that an employee at a Palm Beach restaurant dragged his wife out for “waiting in the wrong line for the restroom.”His eldest daughter, Isabel, is 21 and has followed in his footsteps, launching her own podcast. Bongino has often spoken about his family on social media, once writing, “I’m so proud of my daughter Isabel for the woman she’s become. We celebrated her 18th birthday this past weekend with friends and family and we built memories for a lifetime.”
Bongino has often clashed with the prolific author Stephen King. In 2023 the author, known for novels such as The Shining (1977), It (1986), and Misery (1987). got into a dispute with Bongino after Bongino suggested that King was a “jobless loser” in a heated exchange.
Bongino shared a post with his 4.2 million Twitter followers, reading: “Biden is a disgrace to humankind. An embarrassment to the human race in every respect.” King responded with a laughing emoji and the words: “Yes. But he’s got a real job, not a podcast.” Bongino responded: “Yeah, you’re right. Millions of listeners a day on a podcast while you’re watching porn in your momma’s basement yearning for the days that people actually gave a s*** about your dumb a***”.