Additional Coverage:
Less than a day after her dismissal as Attorney General, Pam Bondi’s portrait was swiftly removed from the Department of Justice.
Following the announcement that President Donald Trump had fired Bondi from his cabinet, a photograph circulated showing her framed portrait discarded in a garbage bin. The portrait had previously hung in the DOJ office alongside those of the president and vice president.
Bondi’s tenure at the Justice Department was marked by significant internal discord. She was reportedly unpopular among career officials and agents, with thousands choosing to resign rather than follow her directives, and dozens more pushed out.
Early in her term, Bondi boasted on Fox News about personally removing photos of President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Attorney General Merrick Garland from the national security division’s secure floor. In a 2025 interview with Lara Trump, she recounted going “up on the seventh floor,” a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF), to take down the images herself.
Her actions led to the demotion of Devin DeBacker, a respected department veteran, which left many staff members deeply unsettled. One former official expressed support for the removal of Bondi’s portrait in response.
Such internal strife was unusual, as most career officials in the Biden Justice Department continued their service without controversy following the previous administration.
Bondi’s firing on Thursday ended a contentious 14-month tenure overshadowed by criticism of the department’s handling of records related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation.
Just a day before her dismissal, Bondi was seen accompanying President Trump to Supreme Court arguments, during which they reportedly discussed her potential exit. Trump officially announced her departure the next day, praising her as a “Great American Patriot” and “loyal friend” in a statement posted to his social media platform.
Her dismissal follows a recent pattern of Cabinet shakeups, coming shortly after Trump removed Kristi Noem as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, making Bondi the second Cabinet official dismissed in recent weeks.