White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed questions about comments from Steve Bannon suggesting that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would surround polling locations during the November midterm elections.
The exchange came during a White House press briefing, where a reporter referenced Bannon’s recent statement on his podcast. Bannon, a former senior adviser to President Donald Trump and a prominent conservative commentator, had declared, “You’re damn right. We’re going to have ICE surround the polls come November. We’re not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again. And you can whine and cry and throw your toys out of the pram all you want, but we will never again allow an election to be stolen.”
BREAKING: Steve Bannon, the guy who was being advised by Jeffrey Epstein in the Epstein files says: “We‘re gonna have ICE surround the polls…We’ll never again allow an election to be stolen.”
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) February 4, 2026
How can anyone not view Steve Bannon and Donald Trump as part of the cabal? They will… pic.twitter.com/GffN7cL7ug
Bannon’s remarks revived longstanding claims of election irregularities, framing the proposed ICE presence as a measure to prevent what he described as potential theft of the election.
When asked if that idea was something the president was considering, Leavitt responded that it was not something she had ever heard the president consider.
Reporter: Can you guarantee that ICE will not be around polling locations in November?
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 5, 2026
Leavitt: I can’t guarantee that an ICE agent won’t be around a polling location in November. That’s a silly hypothetical question. That’s a disingenuous question. pic.twitter.com/eoVFevneBZ
The reporter followed up by asking if she could guarantee to the American public that ICE would not be around polling locations or voting locations in November.
Leavitt replied that she could not guarantee that an ICE agent would not be around a polling location in November, describing the question as a very silly hypothetical. She added that she had not heard the president discuss any formal plans to put ICE outside of polling locations and called the inquiry disingenuous.
The comments come amid ongoing debates over election security and voter access as the 2026 midterms approach. Bannon’s suggestion has drawn attention because it raises questions about potential federal involvement at polling sites, an action that could affect voter turnout and perceptions of intimidation, particularly in communities with significant immigrant populations. Federal law prohibits intimidation of voters at polling places, and any deployment of enforcement personnel near voting locations would likely face scrutiny from election officials, civil rights groups, and state authorities responsible for administering elections.
Leavitt’s response neither endorsed nor fully dismissed the possibility of ICE agents being present near polls in some capacity, while emphasizing the absence of any known presidential directive or plan on the matter. The White House has not indicated any shift toward nationalizing aspects of election oversight through immigration enforcement.
