Trump Removes Attorney General Pam Bondi After Mounting Frustrations, Names Acting Replacement
President Donald Trump informed Attorney General Pam Bondi that her time in the administration had come to an end during a car ride from the White House to the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
As the two traveled to attend oral arguments in a closely watched birthright citizenship case, Trump reportedly told her, “I think it’s time,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
Bondi, who took office as U.S. Attorney General last February, is said to have asked the 79-year-old president if she could remain in the position through the summer.
According to the report, Trump declined her request.
Discussions about Bondi’s future had been ongoing for months, with Trump expressing concerns about the pace at which she was advancing his policy priorities, the report said.
Sources told the outlet that her removal was not triggered by a single issue but rather “a steady drip of frustrations,” including the handling of the Epstein files and dissatisfaction with the level of favorable media coverage surrounding the Justice Department.
Despite being told earlier in the day, Bondi remained at the White House that evening and attended Trump’s primetime address on the war with Iran.
Her departure marks the second major personnel change in Trump’s administration, following his earlier decision to remove Kristi Noem from her role as Secretary of Homeland Security.
“We love Pam, and she 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, and our Deputy Attorney General, and a very talented and respected Legal Mind, Todd Blanche, will step in to serve as Acting Attorney General,” Trump posted on Truth Social Thursday.
Blanche is considered a potential long-term choice for the position, though Trump is also reportedly considering Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin for the role.
Zeldin, a former congressman from Long Island, is viewed as a leading contender among a group of Trump allies that also includes Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Bondi addressed her dismissal Thursday night, pledging her continued support for Trump.
“Leading President Trump’s historic and highly successful efforts to make America safer and more secure has been the honor of a lifetime, and easily the most consequential first year of the Department of Justice in American history,” she posted on X.
“I remain eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again.”
