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Dan Bongino Shocked to Learn MAGA Fans Despise Him After Leaving the Trump Admin

Gloria Shaw

Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who left the agency after a controversial and brief tenure, has encountered a surprisingly hostile reception from the very MAGA audience he once commanded.

On Saturday, Bongino posted on X attacking fellow conservatives as “bad comedians and black-pillers” who “flex” online but draw no audience, in what many interpreted as a thinly veiled shot at libertarian comedian Dave Smith and others questioning the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

The post triggered an immediate and intense wave of disillusionment, with longtime supporters accusing Bongino of hypocrisy, betrayal, and behaving like a “tween girl” since joining—and then leaving the Trump administration.

Bongino’s message read:
“Genuinely comical watching bad comedians and black-pillers flex, and then go live, and no one shows up. A microphone and a camera are only powerful if there are ears and eyes to hear and see on the other end. Friends don’t let friends fall for bullshit digital astroturfing chumps. Have a great weekend!”

The response was swift and unforgiving. Many interpreted the post as a direct swipe at those continuing to demand transparency on Epstein, especially after Bongino, during his podcasting career, had been one of the loudest voices promoting theories of elite cover-ups, a hidden “client list,” and doubts surrounding Epstein’s official suicide ruling in 2019.

That history made Bongino’s role in signing off on an FBI memo concluding no credible client list existed and reaffirming the suicide determination particularly devastating to his audience. The reversal—after years of promising to “never let this story go” left many feeling personally betrayed by a figure they once viewed as an uncompromising truth-teller.

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Flood of Disillusionment from the Base

The backlash was immediate and came from across the conservative spectrum:

Robert P. Murphy, a Christian economist and longtime Bongino follower, wrote: “I hope they enticed you with money and not threatened your family, to get you to act like this.”

Conservative activist RudyMoon reposted an old Bongino podcast clip asking: “What happened to this Dan? You know, the one who cared about kids being r*aped, women being trafficked, and the elites committing the crimes?”

Jason Reed, a vocal MAGA supporter, lamented: “I can’t imagine they’re being a more disappointing person in Trump’s 1st year, maybe Kash? Seeing how embarrassing Dan performed and how he acts like a tween girl now, is so sad. Came crawling back to the boomers and their echo chamber.”

Influencer @EuropaActual, who claimed years of loyalty to Bongino, delivered one of the most stinging rebukes:
“Dan, you said that you can smell Smith’s fear, but he challenged you to a live debate and you seem to be willing to talk s— about everything else except that. We all know you won’t debate him because you sold out and don’t have any way to refute Dave’s points. Btw, I watched your show every morning for years, considered myself part of the ‘Bongino Army,’ and publicly cheered when you took the Deputy Director position. I’m not a troll, I’m someone who was personally blackpilled in large part because of your decision to protect ‘elite’ pedophiles. If Dan Bongino won’t get accountability for some of the most evil people on the planet, then no one will.”

Evan Kilgore, a former Turning Point USA ambassador, offered a lengthy and measured critique: “Dan, I say this with total and the utmost respect. You’ve spent every single day back on X since leaving the FBI crashing out at people criticizing the Trump administration. You are retweeting Catturd hating on Thomas Massie, Mark Levin attacks, and fighting with Matt Gaetz. You are calling people antisemitic and ‘declaring war’ on private citizens using their First Amendment right to express discontent with broken promises. You yourself championed exposing Epstein throughout 2023/2024, as did your former cohorts in the FBI. People feel conned here. Dan, this is a serious question, can you read the room? Do you not understand the frustration from the common man?”

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The Epstein Reversal That Broke the Trust

The core grievance centers on Bongino’s dramatic shift regarding Jeffrey Epstein. For years on his podcast, he aggressively promoted theories of elite involvement, a hidden client list, and skepticism about the official suicide ruling. He built much of his audience on the promise of fearless truth-telling about powerful corruption.

When the FBI under his watch concluded last summer that no further charges were warranted and reaffirmed Epstein’s death as suicide, the contrast proved too stark for many. Supporters who once cheered his appointment as a sign of real change now felt personally deceived.

The sense of betrayal has only deepened since Bongino’s return to social media, where he has aggressively defended the administration while attacking critics—behavior many view as the opposite of the outsider truth-teller they once admired.

Bongino’s post-administration conduct has fractured a once-solid following. The “Bongino Army” that rallied behind him during his podcast years has splintered, with some remaining loyal while others express profound disappointment.

The backlash reflects broader tensions within the MAGA movement: frustration over unfulfilled promises, perceived inaction on high-profile issues like Epstein, and a growing sense that some former outsiders become part of the establishment once inside.

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Bongino has not directly addressed the wave of criticism since his farewell message. He is widely expected to resume his podcast and media platform, where he will almost certainly face continued pressure to explain his reversal on Epstein and his confrontational post-FBI behavior.

For a movement that prides itself on distrust of institutions and demands relentless accountability, the fallout from Bongino’s tenure and departure is a reminder that loyalty is conditional, and perceived betrayal can be met with swift, unforgiving rejection.

Whether Bongino can regain the trust of the audience he once commanded or whether he becomes a cautionary tale of the cost of crossing from critic to insider—remains one of the most compelling questions in conservative media today. The base that once cheered him on now watches with disappointment, waiting for answers he has yet to provide.

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