A long list of names has emerged to replace outgoing U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was dismissed by President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday.
The National Pulse has compiled a list of individuals who have been speculated about or promoted by Trumpworld insiders. President Trump’s core requirements are likely to include who can advance his political agenda, and who can be confirmed by an increasingly precarious Republican Senate majority.
The confirmation issue, requiring only a simple majority, could be especially troublesome, as Republicans hold only 53 seats to Democrats’ 47 (including two caucusing Independents). This means the votes of retiring anti-Trump Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), persistent RINO Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and critical swing vote Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) will likely be critical, though there is potential for crossover votes like Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA).
To better understand the field of play, the potential nominees are divided into two categories: those who are ‘Senate Friendly’ and those who will likely draw a ‘Confirmation Fight.’ The one potential nomination that is worth pulling out from that is of the Acting Attorney General.
Todd Blanche, Acting U.S. Attorney General: Blanche is one of President Trump’s former defense attorneys and was appointed as the U.S. Deputy Attorney General on March 6, 2025. He left private practice to fight alongside Trump when few others did, or would, but he has also served in Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice (DOJ), raising some questions amongst the more spirited members of the Trump base.
After the dismissal of former Attorney General Pam Bondi this week, Blanche was named Acting Attorney General, giving him a strong case for retaining the role on a more permanent basis. He is also able to serve as Acting Attorney General for up to 210 days, and if another nominee is submitted and withdrawn or rejected, he can serve a further 210 days, and then once again, meaning Trump could possibly leave Blanche in situ as Acting Attorney General until almost the very end of his term.
SENATE FRIENDLY.
Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator: Lee Zeldin is speculated to be the favorite for the nomination. At the EPA, Zeldin has implemented President Trump’s agenda in a satisfactory manner. This has largely prevented the corporate media and Congressional Democrats from acquiring the usual political ammunition they’ve attempted to use to sink other Trump nominees. Zeldin’s amicable relationships with his former House colleagues suggest he has a similar good standing with the Senate, making Democrat crossover votes, such as Sen. Fetterman, more likely.
Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida: While Ron DeSantis is not necessarily a favorite among President Trump’s supporters, the Florida governor, who is term-limited, does have some support in Congress. While political operatives in the DeSantis camp have pushed his name for a Cabinet role since the start of Trump’s second term, an actual nomination for the Florida governor has yet to materialize. While DeSantis is an attorney—having served in the U.S. Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps—he has limited private-sector experience, with his background mostly in the military’s Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) rather than American civil or criminal law.
Andrew Bailey, Attorney General of Missouri: As Missouri’s Attorney General, Andrew Bailey has been a staunch ally of President Trump. In July 2024, Bailey filed a Supreme Court challenge against the State of New York, alleging that its handling of President Trump’s so-called hush money trial infringed on the First Amendment rights of Missouri residents. In addition, Bailey sued the former Biden government over illegal immigration flights to his state and again over allegations of election interference. Bailey is far less likely to draw Democrat cross-over votes. He’s currently the co-deputy director of the FBI, too, which makes things easier.
Eric Schmitt, U.S. Senator from Missouri: Schmitt is the former Missouri Attorney General and a current U.S. Senator. Like Bailey, Schmitt is a decent ally of Trump and, being a sitting U.S. Senator, is likely to receive support from colleagues in the upper chamber. Schmitt has been a leading figure in pushing for stricter restrictions on U.S. H-1 B visa policies.
Ashley Moody, U.S. Senator from Florida: Moody is the former Attorney General of Florida and currently serves in the U.S. Senate. Like Schmitt, she is likely to draw strong support from her Senate colleagues. However, Moody may also be less welcome by some of Trump’s stronger supporters due to her close ties with DeSantis’s political camp.
Mike Lee, U.S. Senator from Utah: Senator Mike Lee is a constitutional lawyer and a former assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Utah, who also clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito when the latter was still a judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Lee, who has a strong libertarian political streak, would be an interesting choice for Attorney General, as more traditional Tea Party movement conservatives enthusiastically support him. However, Lee’s past support for mass immigration, and especially H-1B visas, could spark resistance among more populist Trump supporters. Like other members of the Senate, Lee is likely to be easily confirmed.
Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator from Texas: Ted Cruz has an extensive legal background and, before being elected to the U.S. Senate, served as the Solicitor General of Texas, arguing several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. While Cruz, on paper, has a sterling resume, his reputation as an outspoken lawmaker who has butted heads with President Trump in the past could prove too much for him to secure the nomination. Cruz is also long believed to have a relatively contentious relationship with his Senate colleagues. However, this may actually aid his nomination as some Republican and Democrat lawmakers would likely welcome his exit from the chamber.
Matthew Whitaker, United States Ambassador to NATO: The former Acting U.S. Attorney General from November 2018 to February 2019, following Jeff Sessions’s resignation during President Trump’s first term, is another likely Senate confirmable nominee. In fact, Whitaker, like Lee Zeldin, has already been confirmed by the Senate once. Another Trump ally and NATO skeptic, Whitaker, should be palatable for the 53-seat Republican majority in the Senate.
Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York: Clayton has extensive legal experience and, before being named the U.S. Attorney for the SDNY, he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2017 as chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Prior to his tenure at the SEC, Clayton was a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, specializing in mergers and acquisitions.
Jeff Jensen, Former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri: Jensen has a long record of experience with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and previously served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC). Before his tenure as a U.S. Attorney, Jensen served as a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent from 1989 to 1999. Notably, he was tapped in 2020 by then-Attorney General Bill Barr to review the DOJ’s prosecution of former National Security Advisor General Michael Flynn. Jensen concluded that the federal charges against Gen. Flynn should be dropped.
Stanley Woodward Jr., Associate Attorney General: Woodward currently serves as President Trump’s Associate Attorney General, making him one of the highest-ranking officials in the Department of Justice (DOJ). Before taking the role, Woodward built a high-profile reputation in Washington legal circles and has long been viewed as a trusted figure within Trump-world. More importantly, however, Woodward has already been confirmed by the U.S. Senate for his current post, which would make him one of the more easily confirmable nominees under consideration. He would, however, suffer the same issue as anyone else who has been deputy to Bondi until now.
D. John Sauer, Solicitor General of the United States: Sauer currently serves as the Solicitor General of the United States, one of the most prestigious legal posts in the federal government. He previously served as Solicitor General of Missouri and has extensive appellate experience, giving him the sort of polished legal résumé that would be difficult for even some skeptical senators to dismiss out of hand. While Sauer may lack the overt retail political profile of some other names on this list, his standing inside the DOJ and his reputation as a serious conservative lawyer could make him an attractive choice for a White House looking to avoid a bruising confirmation battle.
Sarah B. Rogers, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs: Rogers currently serves as the State Department’s Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, a Senate-confirmed role she assumed in October 2025. Before entering government, Rogers built a profile as a free speech lawyer and conservative legal activist, giving her the sort of ideological résumé that could appeal to a White House still eager to frame legal fights through the lens of censorship, institutional bias, and cultural combat. At the same time, her background is much more rooted in speech law and public diplomacy than in traditional criminal prosecution or DOJ management, which would make her a more unconventional pick than many of the other names on this list. Still, for a White House looking for a loyalist with a sharp ideological edge and recent Senate confirmation, Rogers could emerge as a dark-horse option.
CONFIRMATION FIGHTS.
Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is one of President Trump’s most staunch political allies and a favorite among the President’s supporters. More importantly, however, Paxton is currently locked in a contentious Republican Senate primary race in Texas with anti-Trump Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). Recent polling shows Paxton pulling ahead of Cornyn, and his presence in the Senate would provide critical support for Trump’s agenda over the next two years.
Jeff Clark, Former Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights: Like Paxton, Clark is another key Trump backer and movement favorite who would likely face significant opposition from Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans in the Senate. Clark was a long-running target of Democrat lawfare, with the D.C. Bar Association recommending his disbarment last year. In 2022, Clark’s home was inexplicably raided by the FBI as part of an investigation into a legal memo he wrote while serving in the DOJ advising Georgia state lawmakers on legal avenues to challenge the 2020 presidential election results. Notably, the memo only existed as a draft and was never issued. In addition, Clark was indicted, along with President Trump, by former Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was herself removed from her own prosecution for corruption, and the charges against Trump and his alleged co-conspirators were subsequently dismissed.
Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia: Jeanine Pirro, a former New York county judge, district attorney, and Fox News host, currently serves as President Trump’s U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. In her current role, Pirro has helped spearhead Trump’s crackdown on violent crime in the nation’s capital, which has resulted in a precipitous drop in homicides, muggings, carjackings, and assaults. Still, Pirro’s detractors are likely to accuse her of not being able to remain independent of Trump, something Senate Democrats and anti-Trump Senate Republicans insist the Attorney General nominee must be in the role.
Aileen Cannon, U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Florida: Judge Cannon could be considered a dark horse candidate, and falls under the ‘Confirmation Fight’ category mainly because her nomination would likely draw some of the most fierce opposition from Senate Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans. Cannon, who serves on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, oversaw former Biden DOJ special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of Trump for possession of classified documents. The District Court judge, herself a Trump appointee, clashed with Smith over his penchant for overprosecution and allegations that he withheld evidence from the defense. In July of 2024, Judge Cannon dismissed Smith’s prosecution, while ruling his appointment as a special prosecutor was unconstitutional.
Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights: Dhillon currently serves in the Trump DOJ as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. While she has been highly active in addressing allegations of anti-white and anti-Asian discrimination at American universities, Dhillon is not without her detractors, even amongst Trump supporters.
Alina Habba, Counselor to the President: Alina Habba, like Todd Blanche, is one of President Donald Trump’s defense attorneys and his choice to serve as United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. However, Democrat lawfare efforts and anti-Trump judges in the state derailed Habba’s nomination and even her role as the Acting U.S. Attorney. Like the other possible nominees in this category, Habba is likely to face more than just opposition from Senate Democrats, with Sens. Tillis, Collins, and Murkowski possibly opposing her nomination as well—along with even the likes of Sen. Cornyn.
Robert Giuffra, Co-Chairman of Sullivan & Cromwell: An attorney with extensive legal and management experience, Robert Giuffra would likely receive significant support from the political establishment within the GOP. However, the Co-Chairman of Sullivan & Cromwell is likely to give Democrats a platform to revive their Russia collusion conspiracy. During the first Trump administration, Giuffra declined to represent President Trump in the Mueller investigation. However, he did represent former Deputy National Security Advisor K. T. McFarland in the same probe. Currently, he is leading President Trump’s appeal of his New York conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
WILDCARD.
Adam Candeub, General Counsel of the FCC: Candeub currently serves as General Counsel of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where he has emerged as one of the administration’s most aggressive legal voices against Big Tech. A law professor by background, Candeub previously served in President Trump’s first administration at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), including as Acting Assistant Secretary, before later joining the Department of Justice as Deputy Associate Attorney General. He is perhaps best known in conservative legal circles for his arguments against Section 230 protections and for treating social media platforms less like neutral hosts than ideological actors that can and should be regulated. That record would make him a highly unconventional but intellectually coherent choice for Attorney General, though Big Tech firms would likely pour a lot of time and money into opposing him.
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