Pam Bondi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pam Bondi
Bondi in 2025
87th United States Attorney General
Incumbent
Assumed office February 5, 2025
President	Donald Trump
Deputy	Emil Bove (acting) Todd Blanche
Preceded by	Merrick Garland
37th Florida Attorney General
In office January 4, 2011 – January 8, 2019
Governor	Rick Scott
Preceded by	Bill McCollum
Succeeded by	Ashley Moody
Personal details
Born	Pamela Jo Bondi (1965-11-17) November 17, 1965 (age 59) Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Political party	Republican (since 2000)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (until 2000)
Spouses	Garret Barnes ​ ​ (m. 1990; div. 1992)​ Scott Fitzgerald ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2002)​
Domestic partner	John Wakefield (2017–⁠present)
Education	University of Florida (BA) Stetson University (JD)

Pamela Jo Bondi (born November 17, 1965) is an American lawyer and politician. She is currently the 87th United States Attorney General. This means she is the main legal advisor to the President of the United States. She also leads the United States Department of Justice, which is like the country's top law enforcement office.

Before this role, Pam Bondi was the 37th Florida Attorney General. She served in that position from 2011 to 2019. She was the first woman ever elected to be Florida's Attorney General. She is a member of the Republican Party.

In 2020, Bondi was part of President Donald Trump's legal team during his first impeachment trial. Later, in 2024, she led the legal team for the America First Policy Institute. This group works on policies that align with Donald Trump's ideas. In November 2024, President-elect Trump announced he would choose her to be the U.S. Attorney General. The United States Senate approved her for the job on February 4, 2025. She officially started her role the next day.

Early Life and Education

Pamela Jo Bondi was born on November 17, 1965. She grew up in Temple Terrace, Florida. Her father, Joseph Bondi, was a city council member and later the mayor of Temple Terrace.

She went to C. Leon King High School in Tampa. After high school, she studied at the University of Florida. She earned a degree in criminal justice in 1987. She then went to Stetson University College of Law and became a lawyer in 1990.

Early Career as a Prosecutor

Before becoming Attorney General, Pam Bondi worked as a prosecutor in Hillsborough County, Florida. A prosecutor is a lawyer who works for the government. Their job is to bring legal cases against people accused of breaking the law. Bondi also served as a spokesperson for the state attorney's office.

Florida Attorney General (2011–2019)

Pam Bondi's official portrait as Florida Attorney General

Becoming Attorney General

Pam Bondi decided to run for Florida Attorney General in 2010. She competed against other candidates in the Republican primary election. She received support from well-known politicians like Sarah Palin. Bondi was known for appearing on TV news shows, which helped her gain public support.

She won the Republican primary with about 38% of the votes. In the main election, she ran against Dan Gelber, a Democrat. Pam Bondi won this election easily. She became the first woman to be elected as Florida's Attorney General.

She was re-elected for a second term in November 2014. She won with 55% of the votes, defeating her Democratic opponent, George Sheldon.

Key Actions as Attorney General

Bondi with Florida Governor Rick Scott in 2011

As Florida's Attorney General, Pam Bondi was involved in several important legal cases.

She led a lawsuit with 26 other states to challenge a healthcare law called the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare). They argued that a part of the law was against the United States Constitution.

In 2018, she joined 19 other states in another lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act. This lawsuit aimed to change rules that stopped health insurance companies from charging more or refusing coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

Bondi also defended a 2008 Florida law that banned same-sex marriage. She stated that her actions were to uphold the state's constitution.

In 2018, while still Attorney General, Bondi appeared as a guest host on a TV show called The Five on Fox News. This was unusual for an elected official.

Bondi speaking at the 2016 Republican National Convention

Return to Private Life

Lobbying Work

After her term as Florida Attorney General ended in 2019, Pam Bondi began working as a lobbyist. A lobbyist tries to influence government decisions on behalf of a group or company. She worked for Ballard Partners, a firm with close ties to Donald Trump.

She also worked as a registered foreign agent for the Embassy of the State of Qatar. This means she represented Qatar's interests in the U.S. She later left this role to work for the White House Counsel during President Trump's first impeachment proceedings.

Bondi also lobbied for companies like GEO Group, Amazon, Uber, and General Motors. She continued lobbying until she was confirmed as U.S. Attorney General.

Trump's First Impeachment Proceedings

In November 2019, Pam Bondi joined the first Trump administration. She helped the White House during the impeachment proceedings against President Trump. Her role was to challenge the way the impeachment investigation was being handled.

In January 2020, she became part of Trump's defense team for the Senate impeachment trial. During the trial, Bondi made claims about former vice president Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.

2020 Presidential Election

Bondi with Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt in 2022

Pam Bondi spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention to support Donald Trump. She also supported Trump's efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election. She claimed there was widespread voter fraud in states like Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

On Fox News, she was asked to provide proof for her claims but did not. She later stated that Trump had won Pennsylvania, even though votes were still being counted. Joe Biden eventually won the state.

Other Advocacy Work

After the 2020 election, Trump appointed Bondi to the board of trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This was seen as a reward for her loyalty to Trump.

By 2024, Bondi was leading the legal part of the America First Policy Institute. This group creates policies for a possible future Trump presidency. She worked on lawsuits related to voting in key states for the 2024 presidential election.

U.S. Attorney General (2025–Present)

Nomination and Confirmation

On November 21, 2024, President-elect Trump announced that Pam Bondi would be his choice for United States Attorney General. This happened after another candidate, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration.

Bondi had two hearings with the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. These hearings took place on January 15 and 16, 2025. Senators asked her about her past work as a lobbyist, her views on the 2020 election results, her relationship with Trump, and her thoughts on TikTok.

On January 29, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved her nomination. The vote was 12–10, along party lines. The full Senate confirmed her on February 4, with a vote of 54–46. Only one Democratic Senator, John Fetterman, voted in favor of her.

Bondi shared information about her earnings from consulting services. She received shares and stock warrants related to the merger of two companies, which were worth almost $3 million.

Time in Office

Bondi during her first press conference as Attorney General in February 2025

On February 5, 2025, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas officially swore Pam Bondi into office. She became the 87th Attorney General of the United States.

On her first day, she made some changes at the Department of Justice. She closed down the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force and the DOJ's Task Force KleptoCapture. She also reduced how much the Foreign Agents Registration Act was enforced.

In March 2025, a federal judge tried to stop the Trump administration from deporting people believed to be part of a Venezuelan gang. The judge also ordered that those already deported should be brought back. However, the deportations continued. Bondi and other Justice Department officials argued that an oral order from a judge is not legally binding.

Bondi later said that the judge had "no right" to ask questions about the deportations and "no power" to stop them. She stated that judges were "meddling in our government."

After a government group chat was leaked in March 2025, Bondi said it would not be investigated. She stated that the information shared was not secret.

Bondi also directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in the Luigi Mangione case.

In April 2025, Bondi claimed that seizures of fentanyl in the first 100 days of Trump's second term had saved millions of lives. She increased this estimate several times. These numbers were questioned because they were much higher than the actual number of fentanyl deaths each year.

In April 2025, Bondi held a meeting about bias against Christians.

In May, it was reported that Bondi sold a large amount of shares in Trump Media.

Personal Life

Pam Bondi's family has roots in Campania, Italy. She has been married twice. She married Garret Barnes in 1990, and they divorced in 1992. In 1996, she married Scott Fitzgerald, and they divorced in 2002. Since 2017, she has been in a relationship with John Wakefield.

Electoral History

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