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The short, uneasy tenure of Pam Bondi

Emma Hinchliffe
By
Emma Hinchliffe
Emma Hinchliffe
Most Powerful Women Editor
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Emma Hinchliffe
By
Emma Hinchliffe
Emma Hinchliffe
Most Powerful Women Editor
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April 3, 2026, 10:21 AM ET
Pam Bondi had the shortest tenure of any confirmed attorney general in 60 years.
Pam Bondi had the shortest tenure of any confirmed attorney general in 60 years. Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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It wasn’t any one thing—and it was “never enough.”

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President Trump’s decision to fire Pam Bondi as his attorney general yesterday was wrapped up in his dissatisfaction with her inability to quell uproar over the Epstein files—but also what he viewed as either a failure or slow pace pursuing the rest of his agenda, like prosecuting political enemies.

Bondi tried to appease her boss, from weak probes of some of his favorite targets to a banner with his face on it hanging outside the Justice Department, but it was “never enough,” the WSJ reported yesterday. Bondi started at a disadvantage; she wasn’t Trump’s first choice. First, he had wanted Matt Gaetz before scandal made his confirmation an impossibility.

Meanwhile, those outside Trump’s orbit saw Bondi’s tenure as responsible for a near-complete erosion of the Justice Department’s independence. There were some unforgivable mistakes—like releasing versions of the Epstein files with unredacted nude images of young women or possibly teenage girls. Ultimately, no one was happy.

Bondi is the second cabinet member Trump has fired in as many months; the last was Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary. Despite those two ousters, there are still several women left in Trump’s cabinet: Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Kelly Loeffler at the helm of the Small Business Administration, Linda McMahon as secretary of education, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

One of the most fascinating parts of Bondi’s firing is reading about the relationships between these women at the center of MAGA world. The WSJ reports that Bondi was close with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, even after Wiles said in December that Bondi didn’t fully understand voters’ desire for information on Epstein. Recently, Bondi was reportedly asking mutual friends about Wiles, who is receiving treatment for breast cancer. Wiles gave the Journal an interview about Bondi’s departure: “Pam is a brilliant, kind, thoughtful person and the next chapter of her life will be a wonderful one,” she said.

With 14 months in the role, Bondi ended up with the shortest tenure of any confirmed attorney general in 60 years.

Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com

The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Subscribe here.

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— Laura Dern on serving as caregiver to her mom, actress Diane Ladd

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About the Author
Emma Hinchliffe
By Emma HinchliffeMost Powerful Women Editor
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Emma Hinchliffe is Fortune’s Most Powerful Women editor, overseeing editorial for the longstanding franchise. As a senior writer at Fortune, Emma has covered women in business and gender-lens news across business, politics, and culture. She is the lead author of the Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter (formerly the Broadsheet), Fortune’s daily missive for and about the women leading the business world.

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