During Donald Trump’s first term as president, no fewer than eight people served as attorney general. Nearly all of them disappointed him in one way or another, usually because they and Trump disagreed over ideas such as “following the law” or “not taking orders from the president.” In 2018, Trump famously whined “I don’t have an attorney general” after Jeff Sessions recused himself from an investigation into Russia’s efforts to meddle in the 2016 election, rather than quash it on Trump’s behalf.
So for his second term, Trump knew what he wanted at the Justice Department: a committed loyalist who would turn the department into his personal law firm and defend him in public with a fervor bordering on the comical.
Pam Bondi checked both boxes. So why is she struggling?
The only area Bondi stands out is in lavishing Trump with praise.
It turns out that what Trump thinks he wants and what’s good for his presidency aren’t always the same thing. Even the smartest and most competent attorney general would struggle working for a corrupt president determined to dismantle democracy and supported by a fractious cult of conspiracy theorists. Pam Bondi is neither of those.
The only area Bondi stands out is in lavishing Trump with praise so over the top that it would make a North Korean government spokesperson blush. In May, for instance, Bondi claimed that through fentanyl seizures, Trump has “saved — are you ready for this, media? — 258 million lives.” You heard that right: had it not been for the president’s visionary leadership, 3 out of every 4 Americans would be dead. What a relief.
Her main job, however, is doing guest spots on Fox News. A recent New York Times article on Stephen Miller’s influence in crafting and implementing policy in the Trump administration reported that Bondi “is so focused on preparing for and appearing on Fox News that she has essentially ceded control of the Department of Justice to Mr. Miller.”
And that was before the Jeffrey Epstein story blew up in her face.
Among the MAGA faithful, Epstein’s death in jail while he was facing federal charges of child sex trafficking was not a suicide but proof of a conspiracy to conceal the identities of the powerful figures to whom Epstein was connected. Much of their attention has focused on allegations that the government possessed a secret “client list” that Epstein used for blackmail. Bondi said in February that the list was “sitting on my desk right now to review,” then invited a collection of far-right influencers to the White House to receive binders with information on Epstein. But they were disappointed that there were no shocking revelations inside, sowing the seeds of suspicion about whether Bondi could really come through for their cause. Trump supporters and their representatives in the far-right media expect something real from this Justice Department. Now the Justice Department is saying there is no client list and no evidence Epstein was murdered, which has enraged the Trump supporters who were certain Trump would reveal the sweeping conspiracy they all know was afoot. Many are calling for Bondi to be fired, convinced that she must be part of the cover-up. What exactly Bondi is covering up is often left unsaid, but the fact is that Bondi can’t deliver what the MAGA faithful wanted, because there is nothing to deliver. And that’s her whole problem. To understand why, compare Bondi to White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt. Like Bondi’s, Leavitt’s job is to frame Trump in the most hagiographic terms possible, insist that all his lies are true and insult the media. Unlike Bondi, Leavitt doesn’t have to deliver anything; her job is just about the performance. But Trump supporters and their representatives in the far-right media — who have promised Epstein-related bombshells for years — expect something real from the Justice Department. You can’t just acknowledge their conspiracy theories; you have to unmask the conspirators. Trump can tell Bondi to investigate his critics and she can obey, which is what appears to be happening with former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan. And she can continue helping Trump degrade and corrupt her department, which will surely earn her a harsh judgment from history. But to preserve her good standing with MAGA, she’ll have to produce the results MAGA demands. And that looks increasingly impossible.
Paul Waldman is a journalist and author focused on politics and culture. 
