Trump talked with Bondi about the possibility she’d be replaced as attorney general, sources say

By Kristen Holmes, Kaitlan Collins, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump talked to Attorney General Pam Bondi Wednesday about the possibility she would be replaced, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN. But as of Thursday, she remained in her job and had not been fired, one of the officials said.

Trump had in recent days talked to allies about the possibility of firing Bondi, but the conversation directly with her is an indication of how seriously he is considering it. In the conversation Wednesday, which one source described as “tough,” Trump indicated Bondi was not long for her role and he would be replacing her in the near future, sources said.

It was not immediately clear when that might be, and sources said Bondi was told she would be given a different job later. Two sources said that in their talk, Trump floated the possibility of appointing her as a judge after her departure from the Justice Department.

Bondi was in attendance for Trump’s address to the nation Wednesday. CNN has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

Trump has been frustrated with Bondi on multiple fronts, sources said. In particular, he is upset over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and he has also fumed that she has not investigated or prosecuted enough of his political opponents.

Sources have told CNN that Trump is considering replacing Bondi with Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin, though others are also under consideration. In a statement Wednesday addressing reports that Trump had mused about replacing Bondi, the president said, “Attorney General Pam Bondi is a wonderful person and she is doing a good job.”

Some in Trump’s inner circle had long been upset over Bondi’s handling of the Epstein files, believing her pronouncements on the matter helped drive the impression the administration was inappropriately holding back materials from public view.

Many were upset in particular that she said in a February 2025 interview on Fox News that an Epstein client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review,” only for the department to later assert no such list existed. (Bondi has since said she was referring to all the paperwork related to the Epstein investigation, such as flight logs, and not to a specific client list.)

Bondi is facing a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee to testify about the Epstein matter later this month. When she appeared before the panel voluntarily in mid-March, Democratic lawmakers walked out within a half hour. But Republicans stayed and asked questions, and GOP Chairman James Comer said afterward he no longer saw a need for her to return and testify under oath.

“I personally don’t see any reason for her to do a deposition,” the Kentucky Republican said at the time.

The possibility of replacing Bondi with Zeldin first arose in January, then subsided as Epstein coverage faded from the news, sources said. But word that Trump wanted to replace Bondi with Zeldin began to circulate again in the West Wing on Monday. And in recent days, Bondi had privately asked associates whether they thought it was true her job was in danger, sources told CNN, indicating that she wasn’t sure where she stood with the president.

Bondi in recent weeks has spent more time around Trump, including by joining him at the Supreme Court for oral arguments in the birthright citizenship case on Wednesday. It’s the opposite tack taken by other top officials in the first Trump administration, who reduced their time around the president when they determined he was growing dissatisfied with their work.

Trump had also been frustrated that Bondi wasn’t successfully prosecuting a retribution campaign against his political enemies, sources said. But that wasn’t always for lack of trying. Her department had secured indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, but both were thrown out after a judge ruled the prosecutor was illegally serving.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz, Casey Gannon and Evan Perez contributed to this report.