But what really upset Trump, by most reports, was Noem’s decision to spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to star in glossy TV ads.<\/p>\n
Noem’s firing signals Trump is fed up<\/a><\/p>\n Kristi Noem has discovered that loyalty alone doesn’t make you untouchable, becoming the first cabinet secretary fired in Donald Trump’s second administration.<\/p>\n In some ways, Noem had it easier than Bondi. She was the face of a policy that was popular with Trump’s base. Bondi had a tougher task keeping the MAGA movement happy.<\/p>\n As attorney-general, she oversaw the release of the Epstein files. A myriad of issues \u2014 including delayed releases, questionable redactions and files that remain locked away \u2014 enraged some of Trump’s biggest supporters.<\/p>\n Trump never wanted the files released. But Congress forced his hand<\/a>, and Bondi took the blame for what followed.<\/p>\n The saga could prove to be as politically damaging for the president as anything else.<\/p>\n MAGA rarely rebels against Trump, even when he does things to upset a fair chunk of the rest of America. But the way his administration handled the Epstein files left some in the MAGA movement feeling betrayed.<\/p>\n Pushed to prosecute<\/p>\n The Epstein files are likely not the only factor behind Bondi’s dismissal.<\/p>\n Trump was known to be frustrated that she was not using the powers of government to go harder after his adversaries.<\/p>\n In September, he famously published a Truth Social post \u2014 which looked like a private message made public \u2014 urging her to prosecute his political enemies<\/a>.<\/p>\n When Trump was later asked if the post meant he was upset with her, he said: “No, I just want people to act.”<\/p>\n It’s a difficult position for a government lawyer, whose professional ethics should mean cases are pursued on the basis of evidence rather than a president’s instruction.<\/p>\n Loading<\/p>\n Soon after the post went out, though, the government charged two of the people named in it \u2014 former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney-General Letitia James.<\/p>\n Both had previously investigated Trump. Both cases were thrown out of court<\/a>.<\/p>\n Controversy over those failed cases has faded. But public anger over the Epstein files endures.<\/p>\n And Trump’s latest move has put them back in the headlines, after a month of war dominating the news.<\/p>\n ‘Eternally grateful’<\/p>\n Publicly, Trump and Bondi have been praising one another since he sacked her.<\/p>\n He called her a patriot and a friend. She said she was eternally grateful for the trust he’d put in her.<\/p>\n Pat Bondi’s attorney-general job made it challenging to keep both Donald Trump and his MAGA supporters happy. (AP: File)<\/p>\n This doesn’t appear to be an acrimonious break-up like that between Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene, the former MAGA firebrand he called a “traitor”.<\/p>\n Trump’s social media post suggests he’s setting her up with a new job. She said it was one she was “thrilled” about, and where she will “continue fighting for President Trump and this administration”.<\/p>\n Trump has many reasons to keep Bondi on side.<\/p>\n Among them, she has been subpoenaed to face more questions about the Epstein files<\/a> before another congressional committee.<\/p>\n![\"Donald](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/cdb2f7f8b051eef41a5fc06ced155e87.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Pat](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/f50f8450126df1af490f828bb1759126.jpeg\")
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