Discover Trump’s Second Choice for What Might Be His Top Position
Whenever Donald Trump has encountered challenges to his political career, Pam Bondi has stepped up to support him.
TroibNews 
As Donald Trump faced the prospect of losing the 2020 election, Pam Bondi swiftly got into her car.
On November 4, 2020, the day following Election Day, the former Florida attorney general and Rudy Giuliani sped from Washington, D.C. to Pennsylvania to join the initial efforts in Trump’s campaign to contest the election results—an endeavor that would ultimately result in Giuliani’s disbarment and criminal charges for Trump. This included casting doubt on the counting process and acting as Trump’s representative while he expressed his grievances about the results from Washington.
Bondi’s frantic journey symbolizes her role alongside Trump in recent years. While she may not attract national headlines or embody scandal in the same way as Trump’s first choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, she has consistently been present during critical moments of Trump's political challenges.
During Trump's impeachment in 2019 for soliciting political favors from Ukraine, Bondi took a stand on the Senate floor as part of his legal team, presenting a detailed argument regarding Hunter Biden’s controversial ties to a Ukrainian energy firm. Earlier this year, as Trump stood trial in Manhattan over hush money payments to an adult film star, Bondi supported him and made media appearances to denounce the case as fraudulent. As legal pressures accumulated against Trump, Bondi acted as a dependable surrogate.
“All of these prosecutors hate Donald Trump,” she remarked in May on Fox News. “They have a personal vendetta against him.”
Now, Trump is relying on Bondi for a crucial task: supervising the agency that has pursued him and potentially jeopardized his freedom over allegations related to the 2020 election and the accumulation of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence.
How Bondi would exert influence as attorney general remains uncertain. In contrast to Gaetz, who openly criticized federal surveillance programs, advocated for restructuring the FBI, and called for halting January 6 prosecutions, Bondi has not publicly addressed these matters.
While Bondi, like Gaetz, is entrenched in Florida’s Republican circles, she possesses a more conventional background for the Justice Department. She served two terms as Florida's attorney general and later transitioned to lobbying for a firm notable for its connections to Trump, Ballard Partners. Recently, she has worked behind the scenes at the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute, where she held the position of “chair” for its legal initiatives during the culture wars.
Though Bondi has not been a prominent figure in court during most of these disputes, she was listed as an attorney for AFPI in representing two sets of Colorado parents who filed a lawsuit last year. They claimed that their children participated in “Genders and Sexualities Alliance” meetings without their consent, asserting that school officials encouraged secrecy regarding attendance and promoted discussions on gender “fluidity.”
In May, a federal judge in Denver dismissed the case, and the parents are currently appealing the decision. There is no indication that Bondi attended the sole in-person conference for the case, and another AFPI attorney is expected to present the appeal in January.
Despite having a limited presence on social media, Bondi has been a frequent guest on supportive Fox News and Newsmax programs, even hosting Fox's “The Five” while serving as Florida AG in 2018. She has spoken at Trump’s nominating conventions and participated in other annual conservative events like CPAC.
Bondi’s recent lobbying clients at the federal level have included sheriff associations and Alden Torch Financial, an investment firm focused on affordable housing development. Lobbying disclosures reveal that she advocated for a low-income housing tax credit.
Bondi temporarily paused her lobbying efforts in late 2019 and early 2020 to assist Trump’s impeachment defense team as a special assistant. Before and after her tenure at the White House, she was registered as a foreign agent for Qatar, helping the emirate navigate relations with the U.S. and combat human trafficking, according to federal records.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
On November 4, 2020, the day following Election Day, the former Florida attorney general and Rudy Giuliani sped from Washington, D.C. to Pennsylvania to join the initial efforts in Trump’s campaign to contest the election results—an endeavor that would ultimately result in Giuliani’s disbarment and criminal charges for Trump. This included casting doubt on the counting process and acting as Trump’s representative while he expressed his grievances about the results from Washington.
Bondi’s frantic journey symbolizes her role alongside Trump in recent years. While she may not attract national headlines or embody scandal in the same way as Trump’s first choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, she has consistently been present during critical moments of Trump's political challenges.
During Trump's impeachment in 2019 for soliciting political favors from Ukraine, Bondi took a stand on the Senate floor as part of his legal team, presenting a detailed argument regarding Hunter Biden’s controversial ties to a Ukrainian energy firm. Earlier this year, as Trump stood trial in Manhattan over hush money payments to an adult film star, Bondi supported him and made media appearances to denounce the case as fraudulent. As legal pressures accumulated against Trump, Bondi acted as a dependable surrogate.
“All of these prosecutors hate Donald Trump,” she remarked in May on Fox News. “They have a personal vendetta against him.”
Now, Trump is relying on Bondi for a crucial task: supervising the agency that has pursued him and potentially jeopardized his freedom over allegations related to the 2020 election and the accumulation of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence.
How Bondi would exert influence as attorney general remains uncertain. In contrast to Gaetz, who openly criticized federal surveillance programs, advocated for restructuring the FBI, and called for halting January 6 prosecutions, Bondi has not publicly addressed these matters.
While Bondi, like Gaetz, is entrenched in Florida’s Republican circles, she possesses a more conventional background for the Justice Department. She served two terms as Florida's attorney general and later transitioned to lobbying for a firm notable for its connections to Trump, Ballard Partners. Recently, she has worked behind the scenes at the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute, where she held the position of “chair” for its legal initiatives during the culture wars.
Though Bondi has not been a prominent figure in court during most of these disputes, she was listed as an attorney for AFPI in representing two sets of Colorado parents who filed a lawsuit last year. They claimed that their children participated in “Genders and Sexualities Alliance” meetings without their consent, asserting that school officials encouraged secrecy regarding attendance and promoted discussions on gender “fluidity.”
In May, a federal judge in Denver dismissed the case, and the parents are currently appealing the decision. There is no indication that Bondi attended the sole in-person conference for the case, and another AFPI attorney is expected to present the appeal in January.
Despite having a limited presence on social media, Bondi has been a frequent guest on supportive Fox News and Newsmax programs, even hosting Fox's “The Five” while serving as Florida AG in 2018. She has spoken at Trump’s nominating conventions and participated in other annual conservative events like CPAC.
Bondi’s recent lobbying clients at the federal level have included sheriff associations and Alden Torch Financial, an investment firm focused on affordable housing development. Lobbying disclosures reveal that she advocated for a low-income housing tax credit.
Bondi temporarily paused her lobbying efforts in late 2019 and early 2020 to assist Trump’s impeachment defense team as a special assistant. Before and after her tenure at the White House, she was registered as a foreign agent for Qatar, helping the emirate navigate relations with the U.S. and combat human trafficking, according to federal records.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
