Trump Fires FL's Pam Bondi As U.S. Attorney General

WASHINGTON, DC — President Donald Trump on Thursday confirmed that former Florida top prosecutor Pam Bondi is out as U.S. attorney general.

The president made the announcement on Truth Social, calling Bondi a "Great American Patriot and a loyal friend."

"Pam did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown in Crime across our Country, with Murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900," the president wrote. "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 U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche will be the acting attorney general, effective immediately, Trump said.

Bondi is the second Cabinet member to be fired by the president in recent weeks. Last month, Kristi Noem was fired as homeland security secretary in a similar fallout.

Bondi's firing marks the end of the contentious tenure of a loyalist who upended the Justice Department’s culture of independence from the White House, oversaw large-scale firings of career employees and moved aggressively to investigate the Republican president’s perceived enemies.

The announcement also follows months of scrutiny over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation that made Bondi the target of angry conservatives, even with her close relationship with Trump.

SEE ALSO: With Pam Bondi Fired, Lee Zeldin Could Be Tapped By Trump To Serve As Next Attorney General: Reports

Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, also struggled to satisfy Trump’s demands to prosecute his political rivals, with multiple investigations rejected by judges or grand juries or yet to produce charges.

Bondi's departure continues a trend of Justice Department upheaval that has defined Trump’s presidency, as multiple attorneys general across his two terms have either been pushed out or resigned after proving unwilling or unable to meet his demands for the position.

Trump nominated Bondi to serve as attorney general shortly after the November 2024 election, turning to a longtime ally after his first choice, Florida's Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations.

Bondi has been an outspoken defender of Trump. She was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial, when he was accused — but not convicted — of abusing his power as he tried to condition U.S. military assistance to Ukraine on that country investigating then-former Vice President Joe Biden. She was also among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his New York hush money criminal trial that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.