Announcing his selection, Trump wrote in a social media post: “For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore.
“Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again. I have known Pam for many years – She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!”
Bondi is a chair at America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank founded by former Trump staff members, leading its legal arm. She has also served on Trump’s opioid and drug abuse commission.
Bondi, a longtime Trump ally, was part of his legal team during his first impeachment trial and when it made false claims that the 2020 election had been stolen from him due to voter fraud.
She also publicly supported him by showing up at court during his hush money trial in New York, which ended in May with a conviction of 34 counts of fraud.
Born in Tampa, Florida, Bondi studied criminal justice at the University of Florida in 1987, before going on to receive a professional degree from Stetson University College of Law three years later. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1991.
Before entering politics, Bondi spent more than 18 years as a prosecutor at the Hillsborough county state attorney’s office, trying cases “ranging from domestic violence to capital murder”, according to a profile on her lobbying firm’s website.
She was elected as Florida’s first female attorney general in 2010 – having won the support of former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin – zoning in on opioid abuse, synthetic drugs and human trafficking.