U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi before taking to the podium on Wednesday evening to address the nation regarding the Iran war, sources have disclosed.

Sources indicated that Bondi had been let go and was already making her way back to Florida by the time Trump spoke from the White House. She has now reportedly fled her home.

Todd Blanche, currently her deputy at the Justice Department, will serve as the interim replacement for Bondi.

Reports surfaced a day before the announcement that Trump had been contemplating dismissing Bondi, his long-standing associate, in recent days over his dissatisfaction with her management of the Epstein files. It emerges that Bondi has been sensationally sacked by Trump.

Trump was reportedly considering replacing Bondi with Lee Zeldin, who heads the Environmental Protection Agency, according to a number of individuals familiar with the matter who spoke to The New York Times. Trump previously referred to Zeldin as a “secret weapon” who is getting “those approvals” for the EPA “done in record-setting time.”

According to NBC News, Bondi and Trump engaged in a heated verbal altercation last week, though the precise subject of their dispute remains unclear.

Trump was reportedly considering replacing Bondi with Lee Zeldin, who heads the Environmental Protection Agency, according to a number of individuals familiar with the matter who spoke to The New York Times. Trump previously referred to Zeldin as a “secret weapon” who is getting “those approvals” for the EPA “done in record-setting time.”

According to NBC News, Bondi and Trump engaged in a heated verbal altercation last week, though the precise subject of their dispute remains unclear.

Earlier on Wednesday, photographs emerged of the President and Bondi travelling together to the U.S. Supreme Court, which delivered a landmark ruling blocking the President’s attempts to abolish birthright citizenship amid his aggressive immigration drive.

“Unhappy” Bondi attempted to persuade Trump to reconsider after learning of his plan, an insider disclosed.

Trump reportedly notified the attorney general on Wednesday night, moments before his disastrous Iran war speech, that her tenure at the Justice Department would soon be ending, a senior administration official told The Daily Mail.

Bondi responded by urging the president to grant her additional time in the position — but Trump was reportedly resolute in his decision to dismiss her.

Zeldin has a legal background, and in 2004, he became the youngest attorney in New York at 23. From 2023 to early 2025, he operated a crisis management and public relations firm.

As EPA administrator, Zeldin, 46, claims he has overseen “the largest act of deregulation in the history of the United States.”

He previously stated his mission is to deliver the president’s vision of “energy dominance.” Consequently, he has implemented significant environmental deregulations, including dismantling protections for endangered species and wetlands and working to abolish rules on emissions and pollution.

Most significantly, under Zeldin’s stewardship, the EPA reversed the endangerment finding, introduced in 2009 under the Obama administration, which determined that because greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health that they could be regulated under the Clean Air Act. Approximately 20% of greenhouse gas emissions, which trap heat in the atmosphere and drive climate change, originate from the exhausts of cars and light trucks. Further emissions stem from aircraft, power stations, and oil and gas installations.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee accused Bondi of violating the law over her management of the release of documents relating to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

“Despite clear legal requirements and a law that Donald Trump signed, a subpoena that you signed, Mr. Chairman, and repeated public promises, Attorney General Bondi has failed to release the files,” Virginia Rep. James Walkinshaw (D) told Kentucky Rep. James Comer (R) during a hearing back in January.

“It mocks the law,” Walkinshaw said at the time, later saying, “It’s not a coincidence, it’s intentional.”

It follows reports that Trump was left red-faced by a reporter’s question before things rapidly unravelled.