The US President praised Bondi “as a great American patriot and loyal friend.” In just over a year in office, she has successfully tackled crime in the United States, he wrote. The 79-year-old did not give reasons for her dismissal.
CNN and the New York Times had reported that Bondi had fallen out of favor with Trump, among other things, because of her handling of the Epstein files. The president is also frustrated because the justice minister did not take tough enough action against his opponents.
Among other things, Trump encouraged the Attorney General to initiate proceedings against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI chief James Comey, both of whom had investigated Trump in the past. However, courts blocked the charges.
The Epstein files also caused massive controversy. By order of Congress, Bondi’s ministry had released around three million documents on the convicted sex offender, who was close to Trump years before his death in 2019. At a hearing in a parliamentary committee in February, Bondi appeared overwhelmed and was unable to credibly refute allegations of a “cover-up”. She was scheduled to testify again on April 14.
Bondi is the second minister from Trump’s cabinet to go. At the beginning of March, the president fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. She was faced with calls to resign after her emergency forces fatally shot two US citizens in the city of Minneapolis.
Bondi’s interim successor Blanche thanked Trump for his trust. “We will continue to stand with the police, enforce the law and do everything in our power to keep America safe,” he said on the online service X.
Blanche, 51, was one of his personal lawyers until Trump took office again. He defended the real estate entrepreneur, among other things, in the hush money trial against the former porn actress Stormy Daniels. In the trial, Trump was convicted of document forgery in May 2024. He became the first US president to enter the White House as a convicted felon.
The opposition welcomed Bondi’s dismissal. Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called her “the most corrupt attorney general in modern American history.” Bondi tried to silence all Trump critics, he explained. The opposition accuses Trump of having turned the Justice Department into a tool for personal vendettas against his opponents and thus violating the separation of powers.
A good six months before the important midterm elections for Congress, Trump himself is under pressure. The reasons include his seemingly haphazard approach to the Iran war and the massive increases in fuel and living costs, which are causing problems for many citizens. According to opinion polls, the president’s approval ratings have been falling for months.
Meanwhile, the president promised Bondi an “important new job in the private sector.” He did not provide any further details. Bondi wrote on
The lawyer from Trump’s adopted home of Florida had previously appeared as a loyal follower of the right-wing populist. For example, after Trump’s election defeat against Joe Biden in 2020, she supported his false claims about alleged election fraud by the Democratic Party.
The influencer Laura Loomer, who is considered close to Trump, wrote on the online service X that secret service chief Tulsi Gabbard was also about to be fired. Loomer justified this with Gabbard’s support for the head of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), Joe Kent, who resigned in mid-March. He had sharply criticized the Iran war and Trump’s course.
