Pam Bondi, who was fired from her role as US Attorney General, seen during a meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 16, 2026. —Aaron Schwartz—UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Donald Trump has ousted Pam Bondi as attorney general, he announced Thursday, making her the second cabinet official he has removed in the past month.
“Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, praising her record on reducing murders and other crimes. “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.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general for now, Trump said. One possible successor is Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and a close political ally of the President.
The move follows days of private deliberations and a tense, direct conversation between Trump and Bondi in which he indicated she would soon be replaced, according to multiple reports. At the center of his frustration was Bondi’s handling of the Justice Department’s review of materials related to Jeffrey Epstein. Her public statements about the existence of a so-called client list fueled criticism among Trump’s allies, who believed the issue had become a political liability and raised questions about transparency.
Trump, who has long viewed legal battles as central to his political agenda, had previously expressed frustration with what he viewed as a lack of aggressiveness in Bondi’s Department of Justice pursuing investigations and prosecutions of his political opponents. He had pressed for action in cases involving figures such as former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, but efforts to bring charges faltered. In some instances, indictments were dismissed over procedural issues, deepening the President’s frustration with the department’s performance.
Bondi’s tenure was also shadowed by congressional scrutiny. The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed her to testify about the Epstein matter, with a deposition scheduled for later this month.
Despite the tensions, Bondi remained publicly at the President’s side in recent days, traveling with him to the Supreme Court for Wednesday’s hearing on birthright citizenship and attending his prime-time address to the nation at the White House later that night.
Her removal comes just weeks after Trump ousted Kristi Noem as secretary of homeland security, replacing her with Markwayne Mullin.
Taken together, the two firings have marked a shift from Trump’s earlier reluctance to fire cabinet members in the middle of his presidency, particularly after his first term was marred by frequent turnover.