A day after Gregory Bovino revealed he was exploring a 2028 presidential run last week, the former U.S. Customs and Border Patrol commander-at-large joined a prominent white nationalist’s podcast to renew his call for over 100 million people — roughly a third of the United States’ population — to be deported.
“What I’m for, above and beyond anything, is the mass deportation of illegal aliens,” Bovino told Kevin DeAnna, host of the “Identity Politics” podcast, on June 9. “That’s the number one issue that faces our country.”
Bovino confirmed to NewsNation on June 8 that he had formed an “exploratory” committee for a potential presidential run, and he would launch a formal campaign “if it all comes together.” A day later, Bovino opened up about his political ambitions on DeAnna’s podcast, which is known for platforming racist ideologues and far-right extremist figures. DeAnna is described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as one of the “main, ideological architects” of the modern white nationalist movement in the U.S.
And it was there, on DeAnna’s podcast, that Bovino soft-launched his presidential bid.
“Are you considering a run for president of the United States?” DeAnna asked Bovino.
“What we’re not doing is taking care of the homeland,” Bovino responded. “The war is here on our soil, and by war, I’m not necessarily saying, you know, a hot war with firearms. I’m saying that to preserve our culture and our homeland, the war is here, and it’s immigration-related. So, whatever I can do to ensure those mass deportations take effect, that’s what I want to do, that’s what I’m committed to doing, and if that meant running for president, I would do that. Sure, you bet.”
Paris is not Paris. Brussels is not Brussels now. London is not London now. Everybody tries to ignore it, but they want to do something about it. We want to do something about it here, so hey, let’s do it together.”
Gregory Bovino on the “identity politics” podcast
DeAnna has a documented history of disseminating extremist ideology. In 2012, he authored an essay on the far-right website Counter-Currents titled “A White Nationalist Memo to White Male Republicans.” The essay encouraged white American men to “fight for a country of your own.” On “Identity Politics,” he has conducted friendly interviews with the leaders of groups identified by the SPLC as white supremacist organizations, including Patriot Front and the Rise Above Movement. The podcast itself is produced by American Renaissance, which the SPLC describes as a white nationalist group.
Bovino, too, has repeatedly raised eyebrows over his own ideology, from his tactics at the helm of Border Patrol to his appearance. He often wears a trench coat that many observers, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and several German media outlets, have cast as reminiscent of those worn by Nazi SS officers. (Bovino has said it is an old Border Patrol coat.) Earlier this month, he courted controversy again when he posted a photo of himself extending his right arm outward, palm facing down, in a gesture that appeared similar to the fascist — or “Roman” — salute used by the Nazis. And in a recent interview with a right-wing media outlet in Europe, Bovino cited the military tactics of Erwin Rommel, Nazi Germany’s head general, as inspiration.
On DeAnna’s podcast, Bovino tiptoed around an outright campaign announcement, but he acknowledged there were “some exploratory committees out there that are running polls and doing things like that to gauge public interest for a presidential run.” One such committee appears to be behind a typo-riddled campaign website, Bovino2028.com, which features a photo of Bovino in his trench coat. “HOUSE BOVINO,” reads the top of the homepage. “MEN FIGHT BACK.” The site praises “The Commander” for his “warrior mindset” and his “maximum effectiveness in quelling the foreign hordes that have subsumed our nation’s cities.”
The first policy proposal on the site calls for “total border closure, permanent immigration hold, immediate forced remigrations of all illegals” and the “formation of the protective office for American Women to aggressively serve justice on behalf of those ravaged at the hands of vicious Illegal Aliens.”
A “SUPPORT THE MISSION” button on the site leads to a now-defunct CashApp account.
The founders of the “Bovino 2028” campaign site, as The Daily Beast first reported, include Yovana Alvarez, a woman who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico as a child and goes by “The Bovino Queen” on X; George Riley, the former executive director of the Republican Party of Florida; and Jacob Engels, a longtime MAGA political operative and a protege of former Trump adviser Roger Stone, who partook in the “stop the steal” movement. Engels has also been known to collaborate with the Proud Boys and extremist figures like Laura Loomer. A few weeks ago, per reporting by The Bulwark, Engels was arrested at a Wisconsin motel and charged with felony possession of methamphetamine and four misdemeanors, including resisting arrest.
Reached for comment, Engels referred MS NOW to a statement he gave The Daily Beast denying the charges against him, saying he plans to plead not guilty. He also told MS NOW that associates of the “Commander” assured him Bovino did “not care about the arrest” but said it was “bad ass.” A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for July 2.
Bovino didn’t immediately respond to calls for comment from MS NOW.
Bovino retired from Border Patrol in March after nearly 30 years at the agency. He rose to infamy as the face of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts, overseeing aggressive immigration sweeps in Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, often putting himself front-and-center of the operations for photoshoots. He was also criticized widely for the brutal tactics his agents employed against protesters. Amid intense public backlash after border agents in Minneapolis shot and killed two protesters — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — Trump demoted Bovino and sent him back to his previous role in California, where he eventually announced his retirement.