Donald Trump moved swiftly this week to remove Attorney General Pam Bondi, just days after publicly joking that Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt might be responsible for his '93% bad publicity.'
Bondi has joined the list of officials that Trump has fired in his second term in office, including Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Now, critics are wondering if the US President is planning to fire another official, and his recent jab at Leavitt had many thinking she might be the one.
While the White House has framed both incidents differently, their timing has drawn attention to a broader pattern of Trump trying to clear his house.
A Rapid Chain Of Events Inside The White House
The sequence began earlier in March when Trump dismissed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, marking the first Cabinet-level exit of his second term. By the end of the month, attention had shifted to the Justice Department and the FBI.
Trump: I got 93% bad publicity. Maybe Karoline is doing a poor job. pic.twitter.com/HINANqxbs9
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 31, 2026
Reports surfaced that FBI Director Kash Patel was pushing to revisit a decade-old file involving Rep. Eric Swalwell and a suspected Chinese intelligence operative. Swalwell's legal team quickly intervened, warning against any release of the material.
Then came 31 March. During a press briefing, Trump appeared alongside Leavitt and delivered a line that quickly went viral, suggesting she might be doing a 'terrible job' as he complained about overwhelmingly negative media coverage. He immediately softened the remark, saying, 'I think we'll keep her,' as the room laughed.
Less than 48 hours later, Bondi was out.
The Bondi Firing And What's Behind It
Trump's public statement on Bondi was notably warm, calling her a 'Great American Patriot.' But behind the scenes, reporting points to a far more tense lead-up.
According to multiple accounts, Trump had grown increasingly frustrated with Bondi over several issues, including the handling of Jeffrey Epstein-related files and broader concerns about transparency and political follow-through.
One report also cited a belief within the administration that Bondi may have intervened in matters related to the FBI's handling of the Swalwell file, a claim that remains unproven and has been firmly denied by both Swalwell and current officials.
Swalwell himself said no one in Bondi's orbit tipped him off, while Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche dismissed the allegation outright.
Is Leavitt The Next Endangered Offical?
In contrast to Bondi's removal, Leavitt's situation appears far less serious.
Trump's 'terrible job' comment was widely described as playful and tied directly to his long-standing complaints about media coverage. He quickly walked it back, and there has been no indication from the White House that her role is in jeopardy.
Still, the optics of the remark, combined with Bondi's firing, have created a perception of instability, particularly as clips from the briefing continue to circulate widely online.
However, Trump during the same chain of comments addressed concern of bad publicity and claimed this might be a sign the Americans are 'not believing the press anymore.' which indicated that he is extremely aware of how media is perceiving him and Leavitt being the frontrunner of his defence hails the biggest responsibility.
Bondi's exit followed weeks of internal criticism and policy-related frustration, while Noem's earlier removal was tied to controversies surrounding immigration enforcement and public scrutiny. Both cases involved issues that had begun to dominate headlines.
Leavitt, by contrast, remains in place, and Patel continues to lead the FBI without signs of immediate risk. Despite speculation, there is no confirmed sources suggesting further shake-ups are imminent.
