US President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi from her post on Thursday, a White House official said. Her removal follows frustration with her performance, including her handling of investigative files involving the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a Reuters report said.
Trump was also reportedly frustrated that Bondi did not move quickly enough to prosecute critics and opponents he wanted to face criminal charges.
Pam Bondi — the Trump loyalist who oversaw the Justice Department insurgency — is the first woman to serve as Florida attorney general.
The Rise and Fall of Pam Bondi
Here’s a look at her career as she rose to prominence:
Early nineties – Bondi began working in the Hillsborough County, Florida, state’s attorney’s office.
December 2009 – Left her job as a prosecutor in the Hillsborough County District Attorney’s Office to run for Florida Attorney General.
November 2010 – Pam Bondi became the first woman elected Florida Attorney General.
2013 – Faced massive criticism for urging then-Florida Governor Rick Scott to delay the execution because it conflicted with a fundraiser for her re-election campaign. She later apologized, according to a CNN report.
2011-2019 – Bondi serves as Florida Attorney General and was re-elected in 2014.
2019 – Entry into the administration of US President Donald Trump; working on Trump’s legal team during his impeachment hearings.
2019–2025 – Bondi worked as a partner at Ballard Partners LLC.
November 2024 – Trump names Bondi as his nominee for U.S. attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdrew as the original nominee.
February 2025 – The Senate confirmed Bondi as US Attorney General by a vote of 54-46.
February 2025: Pam Bondi sworn in as US Attorney General.
July 2025 – The Justice Department released a report saying there was no evidence that Jeffrey Epstein kept a “client list” or that he was murdered. The matter drew attention after Bondi said in a television interview earlier that such a list was under review.
August 11, 2025 – Trump declares state of crime and announces Bondi will oversee federal takeover of Washington, DC police force.
August 15, 2025: Days later, after a federal court hearing, Bondi issued a new order that would give control of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department back to Superintendent Pamela Smith, but would still require the city to answer to the Trump administration for the time being.
December 2025: The Justice Department released thousands of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Dec. 19. However, it has received criticism for redacting and allegedly removing photos from already published files. Amid the backlash, Bondi reaffirms that the US will “prosecute anyone involved” in the “trafficking and exploitation of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims.”
April 2026: Pam Bondi fired. Formerly, Trump discussed firing Attorney General Pam Bondi and replacing her with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, a CNN report noted.
What’s next for Bondi? Trump Says “Private Sector Jobs”
In a social media post, Trump praised Bondi as a “great American patriot and loyal friend” and said she would move to work in the private sector. Trump said the Justice Department will be headed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, his former personal attorney, for the time being.
