The pressure became unbearable. Following daily revelations about his paid sexual relationships with several women, Matt Gaetz on Thursday, November 21, gave up his bid to be Donald Trump's nominee for the key post of Attorney General.
On this very day, the president-elect moved swiftly to regain control by announcing Gaetz's replacement: former Florida prosecutor Pam Bondi. Unlike Matt Gaetz, Bondi has experience in the judicial field. Her long-standing loyalty to Trump is unquestionable. Now a member of the conservative think-tank America First Policy Institute, the 59-year-old was part of his team of law experts at the White House, notably during the first unsuccessful impeachment proceedings against him in 2020. If confirmed by the Senate, Bondi would form a legally qualified duo at the department with her designated deputy, Todd Blanche, Trump's personal lawyer, both determined to serve the president-elect.
Nevertheless, Trump has just suffered his first political setback with Gaetz, as he tries to impose several highly controversial candidates despite concerns over incompetence, national security risks and sex scandals. Media pressure and behind-the-scenes stiffening of Republican senators responsible for confirming these candidates have effectively ended Gaetz's dreams of a promotion.
The elected official from Florida, who also aspires to succeed Ron DeSantis as governor of that state, announced his withdrawal in a message published on X. "While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition," wrote Gaetz. On his Truth Social network, Trump welcomed the withdrawal, claiming to have played no part in it. "He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration," wrote the president-elect. "Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all the great things he will do!"
In Trump's mind, Gaetz, star provocateur of the MAGA ("Make America Great Again") milieu, was to be his dark horse at the Justice Department, in charge of his vengeful enterprise against those who had tormented him. But many of those close to the billionaire saw this appointment as the riskiest bet in the motley cast of the next cabinet. The candidate had a number of handicaps, even in his own camp, where his excesses had aroused a great deal of enmity. In the House of Representatives, Gaetz had caused the downfall of Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy in early 2023. His successor at the perch, Mike Johnson, now an ardent ally of Trump, tried to prevent the publication of the Ethics Committee's investigative report on his account, to protect the elected official from Florida. But the headwinds were too strong.
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