Trump’s frustration with Bondi reportedly grows

President Donald Trump has discussed firing Attorney General Pam Bondi in the wake of the backlash over how she handled the Epstein files, according to new reports.

In recent days, Trump has privately considered swapping Bondi out for Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, according to sources who spoke to The New York Times.

The White House and Bondi’s office have been contacted for comment.

Publicly, Trump is still backing her

For now, Trump is presenting a calmer picture in public. Bondi joined him at Wednesday’s Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship, where he said in a statement to The New York Times:

“Attorney General Pam Bondi is a wonderful person and she is doing a good job.”

CNN separately reported that a source described the two as carrying on with “business as usual.”

Epstein fallout keeps circling back

The speculation comes as Bondi is expected to appear before the House Oversight Committee later this month after being subpoenaed by the Republican-led panel. She is scheduled to testify on April 14 about the Justice Department’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in his prison cell in 2019.

CNN reported that talk of replacing Bondi first surfaced in January, before fading as other stories took over the news cycle, including unrest in Minnesota and then the conflict in Iran. At that point, Zeldin was not being floated as the next attorney general.

Zeldin, now leading the EPA, previously worked as a lawyer, represented New York’s 1st congressional district, and ran for governor in 2022, losing to Kathy Hochul. He has remained a close Trump ally, including during the run-up to the 2024 election.

Trump’s complaints have not been subtle

According to The New York Times, Trump has also been irritated by Bondi’s communication style and by what he sees as her mishandling of the Epstein files release, which dogged the administration for months and sparked anger among parts of his base.

He has also complained that the Justice Department has not been aggressive enough in pursuing his political targets. In September last year, he posted a Truth Social message that appeared to be aimed directly at Bondi before later deleting it.

“Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, [are] essentially, same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done,” he wrote.

Then came the list of familiar targets: “What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.”