Attorney General Pam Bondi gets the boot as Trump adds another name to his firing spree
Another one bites the dust.
Pam Bondi is out, as President Donald Trump announced Thursday that she’ll be leaving her position. This comes amid reports that the president was quite frustrated with how she handled some of his major priorities.
According to NBC News, Trump shared in a Truth Social post that Bondi will be “transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future.” He added that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche would step in as the acting attorney general. However, a senior administration official and another source familiar with the situation confirmed that Bondi was actually fired from the role.
Sources close to White House deliberations mentioned that Trump had grown “more and more frustrated” with Bondi recently. While he reportedly likes her personally, he felt she hadn’t “executed on his vision” the way he wanted. The president informed Bondi on Wednesday that her time as attorney general was ending, according to an administration official. There was even a heated confrontation between them last week, though details of that weren’t specified.
Bondi’s tenure saw a significant focus on several Trump administration priorities
Bondi oversaw the firing of many attorneys and FBI agents who were involved in prosecutions related to Trump. Her department also shifted its focus to investigations into the “weaponization” of the Justice Department and into voter fraud allegations, which is a rare occurrence. This period also saw a larger voluntary exodus of lawyers, leaving the department with fewer career employees who are traditionally beholden to the law over politics.
Despite these efforts, the Justice Department under Bondi often struggled to secure successful cases against Trump’s political opponents. The president’s own public statements frequently complicated these cases. For example, in February, the Justice Department failed to indict six members of Congress over a social media video that encouraged military and intelligence community members not to obey unlawful orders.
Investigations into the Federal Reserve and Chairman Jerome Powell were blocked by a judge, and cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James were dismissed after a judge ruled the U.S. attorney had been improperly appointed. A particularly contentious issue involved the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein records.
The former AG says she will continue fighting for Trump and his administration
In her own post on X, Bondi confirmed she was “moving to an important private sector role I am thrilled about, and where I will continue fighting for President Trump and this Administration.” She added that she remains “eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again.”
Todd Blanche, who will now serve as acting attorney general, also thanked Trump on X. Blanche said, “Pam Bondi led this Department with strength and conviction and I’m grateful for her leadership and friendship.” He added, “Thank you to President Trump for the trust and the opportunity to serve as Acting Attorney General. We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe.”
Bondi has a long history of loyalty to Trump. She was known for joining “lock her up” chants aimed at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the 2016 Republican National Convention. She also served on President Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial and was involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, falsely claiming he had “won Pennsylvania.”
Blanche, the new acting attorney general, also has strong ties to Trump. He was the lead defense attorney when Trump faced trial in 2024 on charges of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment. The seven-week trial ended with Trump convicted on all 34 counts, though he was spared any penalty. Blanche also represented Trump in two other federal cases.
Bondi is the second Cabinet member to be dismissed by Trump. Kristi Noem was fired last month from her role as homeland security secretary in a similar fashion. Reports indicated that Trump grew increasingly frustrated with Noem, with her performance at two congressional hearings ultimately costing her the job. Looking ahead, Trump and Lee Zeldin have reportedly discussed the attorney general job, with a Republican source close to Zeldin indicating that the EPA administrator is “definitely” interested.
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