Why President Trump Fired Pam Bondi
Rumors have swirled for months that President Donald Trump fired Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi — and the president finally pulled the trigger on Thursday.
Trump told Bondi on Wednesday, ahead of his big speech on Iran, that his term as AG was coming to an end. A White House official told the Daily Caller that there was no “disagreement” between the president and the AG, but that he was overall dissatisfied with his job performance.
The official added that the president had been considering whether to fire Bondi for months as his mistakes piled up.
Deputy AG Todd Blanche will serve in the interim, the president announced in an article in Truth Social. While Blanche oversees the department, the White House official told the caller that the president is taking time to consider possible replacements, adding that there is no “urgency” to choose someone new.
United States Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks on Capitol Hill March 18, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
But Trump was having conversations with Bondi’s replacements even before making the official announcement.
A source familiar with the situation told the Caller that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin was at the White House on Tuesday to meet with Trump about the wildfire response when the conversation about replacing Bondi came up.
Since that conversation, the source told the caller, the atmosphere within the EPA seemed different, as if people knew Zeldin might be leaving soon. Colleagues started discussing it among themselves.
The source told the caller that it “seems likely” that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin will be selected for the job. Dave Fotouhi, the EPA’s deputy administrator, is one of the favorites to replace Zeldin in his position.
The Daily Mail reported that Bondi was fired in part because Trump believed she had informed California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) intention to release documents regarding an investigation into her alleged relationship with a Chinese spy. A White House official told the caller that this information was false.
“BULLSHIT,” a source close to Bondi’s firing texted the caller.
Swalwell also denied having any information from anyone in the administration in a statement to Semafor.
Some reports indicated that Bondi was not sufficiently pursuing those Trump considered political enemies, leading him to fire the AG.
In August, Trump told the Caller that he “wouldn’t mind” seeing James Comey and John Brennan handcuffed on live television.
“See, I wouldn’t have answered that question that way four years ago. Do you understand that? I wouldn’t have done it,” Trump told the caller.
These comments came shortly after Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard turned over the Russiagate investigation to the Department of Justice (DOJ). A grand jury has since investigated.
U.S. President Donald Trump (center) sits with (L-R) U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA), White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Richard Grenell, outgoing Chairman of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, as he speaks during a luncheon with members of the Trump Kennedy Center Board of Trustees in the East Room of the White House March 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Another big alleged misstep by Bondi is said to be his handling of the Epstein files.
On Sunday evening, at the end of the July 4 holiday weekend, Axios published a memo from the DOJ and FBI announcing that their investigation into Jeffrey Epstein had found no evidence that he maintained a “client list” or that he had been murdered.
The move sparked a months-long news cycle around the records, angering Trump’s base. Bondi previously admitted she was reviewing a “client list” during an interview on Fox News. She also gave a group of MAGA social media influencers a “Phase 1” binder of the Epstein files. (RELATED: Bondi Subpoenaed by GOP Oversight Chairman for Epstein Files)
Senior officials within the administration were angry about Bondi’s handling of the cases and the impact he had on them.
“You can arrest all the drug and cartel kingpins, but people want this case closed, and the attorney general needs to find a better way to reconcile that,” an official previously told The Caller about the handling of the Epstein cases.
