President Donald Trump abruptly removed Pam Bondi as attorney general on Thursday, triggering a high-profile shakeup at the Justice Department and installing his former defense lawyer, Todd Blanche, as acting AG.
The president framed the move as a transition, praising Bondi while signaling a change in direction.
“We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social, adding that Blanche would take over immediately in an acting capacity.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) April 2, 2026
The decision followed a private conversation a day earlier, when Trump informed Bondi at the White House that her tenure leading the Department of Justice was ending, according to a source familiar with the exchange.
Bondi had appeared publicly with Trump just hours before the news broke, attending his national address on the Iran war and accompanying him to the Supreme Court during oral arguments in a closely watched birthright citizenship case.
Blanche, who represented Trump in the Manhattan case brought by Alvin Bragg, quickly signaled continuity on law enforcement priorities.
“Pam Bondi led this Department with strength and conviction, and I’m grateful for her leadership and friendship,” Blanche said. “We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe.”
The move marks the second major cabinet-level shakeup this year following Trump’s earlier removal of Kristi Noem from the Department of Homeland Security.
This story is developing…
