Pam Bondi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pam Bondi
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Official portrait, 2025
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| 87th United States Attorney General | |
| In office February 5, 2025 – April 2, 2026 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Emil Bove (acting) Todd Blanche |
| Preceded by | Merrick Garland |
| Succeeded by | Todd Blanche (acting) |
| 37th Attorney General of Florida | |
| In office January 4, 2011 – January 8, 2019 |
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| Governor | Rick Scott |
| Preceded by | Bill McCollum |
| Succeeded by | Ashley Moody |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Pamela Jo Bondi
November 17, 1965 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (since 2000) |
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| Domestic partner | John Wakefield (2017–present) |
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| Education |
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Pamela Jo Bondi (pronounced BON-dee; born November 17, 1965) is an American lawyer and politician. She served as the 87th United States Attorney General from February 2025 to April 2026. Before this, she was the 37th Attorney General of Florida from 2011 to 2019. She is a member of the Republican Party.
Pam Bondi grew up in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. She studied at the University of Florida and Stetson Law School. From 1994 to 2009, she worked as a lawyer for the state in Hillsborough County, Florida. In 2010, Bondi was elected Attorney General of Florida. She was the first woman to hold this important job in Florida. She was re-elected in 2014. After serving two four-year terms, she was succeeded by Ashley Moody in 2019.
In 2020, Bondi was part of President Donald Trump's legal team during his first impeachment trial. By 2024, she led the legal team for a group called the America First Policy Institute. On November 21, 2024, President-elect Trump announced he would choose Bondi to be the U.S. Attorney General. The U.S. Senate approved her nomination on February 4, 2025. She started her new role the next day. In April 2026, President Trump ended her time as Attorney General due to growing dissatisfaction with her work.
Early Life and Education
Pam Bondi was born on November 17, 1965. Her parents are Joseph C. Bondi Jr. and Patsy Loretta Bondi. She grew up in Temple Terrace, Florida. Her father was a city council member and later the mayor of Temple Terrace.
She went to C. Leon King High School in Tampa. Bondi has Italian and German family roots. She studied at the University of South Florida. In 1987, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from the University of Florida. She then earned a law degree from Stetson University College of Law in 1990. She became a licensed lawyer in Florida on June 24, 1991.
Early Career as a Lawyer
Pam Bondi worked as a lawyer for the state in Hillsborough County, Florida. In this role, she was a prosecutor. A prosecutor is a lawyer who works for the government. Their job is to try to prove that someone accused of a crime is guilty. She also spoke for the office.
Florida Attorney General (2011–2019)
Becoming Attorney General
Pam Bondi ran for Florida Attorney General in 2010. She competed against other candidates in the Republican primary election. Former governor Sarah Palin supported her campaign. Bondi won the primary election with 37.89% of the votes.
In the main election, she ran against Dan Gelber, a Democrat. She won this election and became Florida's first female Attorney General. In November 2014, Bondi was re-elected. She received 55% of the votes. Her opponent was George Sheldon.
Her Time in Office
As Florida's Attorney General, Pam Bondi was involved in several important legal cases. She led a lawsuit that tried to change a national healthcare law known as Obamacare. This lawsuit argued that parts of the law were against the United States Constitution.
She also worked on cases involving financial companies. In 2013, she asked Governor Rick Scott to change the date of an event because it conflicted with a fundraising event. She later apologized for this. Bondi also joined other states in lawsuits about health insurance rules. She appeared on TV shows while in office, which led to some discussions about ethics rules.
Questions About a Donation
There were questions about a donation Pam Bondi's campaign received from Donald Trump's foundation in 2013. Her office decided not to join a lawsuit against Trump University after this donation. Both Bondi and Trump said the donation was proper.
Later, it was found that the donation was made incorrectly. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) looked into it. The IRS decided the donation broke rules for political contributions. Donald Trump had to pay a fine and return the money to his foundation. Later, a court ordered his foundation to close because of how it was used, including this donation. Bondi and her campaign were not fined or charged.
After Being Florida Attorney General
Working as a Lobbyist
After her time as Florida Attorney General ended in 2019, Pam Bondi started working for a company called Ballard Partners. She became a lobbyist. A lobbyist is someone who tries to influence government decisions on behalf of a group or company. She worked for Qatar on projects related to international issues. She also helped a company from Kuwait with a legal case. During her time at Ballard Partners, Bondi also worked for companies like Amazon and Uber.
Helping with Trump's Impeachment
In November 2019, she was hired by the White House to help during President Trump's first impeachment proceedings. An impeachment is when a government official is accused of wrongdoing. Her job was to question the process of the investigation. In January 2020, Bondi was named part of Trump's defense team for the Senate trial.
During the trial, Bondi made claims about former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden regarding their work in Ukraine.
2020 Presidential Election
Bondi spoke in support of Donald Trump at the 2020 Republican National Convention. She supported claims about problems with the 2020 election results. She made public statements about the election results.
Board and Advocacy Work
After the election, President Trump appointed Bondi to the board of trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. By 2024, Bondi led the legal team for the America First Policy Institute. This group planned policies for a possible second Trump presidency. She worked on lawsuits about election rules for the 2024 presidential election.
United States Attorney General (2025–2026)
On November 21, 2024, President-elect Trump announced that Pam Bondi would be nominated for United States Attorney General. A nomination is when someone is formally suggested for a job. She had two hearings with the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
On January 29, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved her nomination. On February 4, the Senate confirmed her in a 54–46 vote. Confirmation means the Senate officially approves the person for the job. On February 5, 2025, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas swore Pam Bondi into office. She became the 87th Attorney General.
On April 1, 2026, news reports said that President Trump was thinking about replacing Pam Bondi. On April 2, President Trump announced that he had fired Bondi from her position.
Personal Life
Pam Bondi first registered to vote with the Democratic Party in 1984. She changed her registration to the Republican Party in 2000. In an interview in 2010, Bondi said she had "always been conservative."
Bondi married Garret Barnes in 1990, but they divorced after 22 months. In 1996, she married Scott Fitzgerald, and they divorced in 2002. She was engaged to Greg Henderson in 2012. Since 2017, she has been in a relationship with John Wakefield. Her younger brother is also a lawyer.
Images for kids
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Bondi with Florida governor Rick Scott in 2011
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Bondi with Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson and Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt in 2022
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U.S.–Mexico interagency meeting in Washington, D.C., February 27, 2025
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Bondi with Secretary Sean Duffy and Congressman Byron Donalds, July 31, 2025
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President Trump, Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel (far right) in a press conference on crime in Washington, D.C. in August 2025
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See also
In Spanish: Pam Bondi para niños
- List of female justice ministers
- List of female state attorneys general in the United States
- List of female United States Cabinet members
- List of first women lawyers and judges in Florida
