Trump Loyalists Fall in Line as President Insists He's "Not Getting Rid of" Embattled AG Pam Bondi

Key players in the MAGA ecosystem are backing down from their vocal criticism of the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, with some attributing their newfound silence to a direct call from Donald Trump to "ramp it down" on the issue. Trump's Truth Social post from Saturday calling for his supporters to leave Attorney General Pam Bondi alone came as he personally expressed his support for her to those in the media and White House. Critics, including MAGA podcaster Charlie Kirk, had criticized Bondi for releasing an unsigned memo concluding that Epstein had no "client list," died by suicide, and did not blackmail prominent figures. The Trump administration has come under fire for attempting to dismiss concerns over an alleged cover-up of Epstein's associates.

Key Takeaways:

• Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, announced on Monday that he's "done talking about Epstein" after speaking to Trump on the phone to express support for Bondi.
• Trump's private support for Bondi was confirmed by CNN, who stated that Trump was "not getting rid of" her, despite critics claiming that Bondi was mishandling the Epstein case.
• Kirk contended that while he would love to see the DOJ unseal the grand jury testimony, he trusted his friends in the administration, including Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, to solve the Epstein case.
• Blanche, the deputy attorney general, defended the department's handling of the memo, stating that there was no daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on the memo's composition and release.
• Fox & Friends has yet to mention the Epstein case, despite Trump's public calls to ignore the issue.

Statistics:

• 80 times Bondi was mentioned by MSNBC's Morning Joe in a single broadcast.
• 100 times Epstein was mentioned by NBC's Morning Joe in the same broadcast.
• Reportedly, Bongino has largely excommunicated himself from the administration due to his public outburst over the handling of the Epstein case.
• Trump's response to Bongino's threat to quit, stating he was in "good shape."
• 3 hours Fox & Friends broadcast without mentioning the Epstein case.
• Total number of hours since Monday and no mention of Epstein on Fox News.

Sources:

• CNN, The Washington Post, Fox & Friends, MSNBC's Morning Joe, Tucker Carlson Tonight, Lara Trump, Dan Bongino, Kash Patel, Todd Blanche, Justin Baragona, and Fortune.