Trump's Chief of Staff pushes to protect Bondi amid Epstein fallout
'You know, she looks like Barbie. She's blonde and beautiful, and I think people will underestimate her because of how she looks,' Wiles told The New Yorker magazine . The White House Chief of Staff added: 'But she's got nerves of steel, and she has stood up to some withering situations with a fair amount of grace.' Known as Trump's 'Ice Maiden' working behind the scenes to instill cold hard discipline and fierce loyalty, Wiles admitted to magazine that Bondi's ties to the president run even deeper than hers.
Asked about Bondi's relationship with Trump, Wiles said: 'I have a long one. Hers is longer.' Trump's own personal loyalty can be mercurial, but for now Wiles has been the bulwark against Bondi's dismissal, beating back public campaigns from right-wing personalities like Laura Loomer. As Florida girls, Wiles and Bondi's ties also span years.
Both worked as lobbyists at Ballard Partners, a Florida-based firm founded by Republican fundraiser Brian Ballard, who also personally contributed to Trump's campaigns. Wiles worked for Ballard from 2011 to 2019. Bondi joined the firm in 2019 following her tenure as Florida's Attorney General. It appears that several Trump allies – including his own daughter Ivanka – were pushing for Bondi to get a role in his first administration.
Even Ballard said at the time: 'I would imagine her opportunities are unlimited. There's nobody closer to Trump in Florida than Pam Bondi.' But a Trump ally told the New Yorker that back then, when Bondi's name would come up, the president would 'roll his eyes and shake his head.' 'I always took it as he didn't take her seriously—he didn't think she was a person of substance,' they claimed.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment on the sprawling New Yorker piece on Bondi, and whether it took Trump some time to warm up to her joining his team the first time around. Fast forward to 2024 after former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination to head-up Trump's Justice Department in his second term, Bondi emerged as the clear replacement. Those involved in the selection claim that Trump did not consider anyone else.
Bondi became one of the most controversial Cabinet officials, however, once the DOJ and FBI released a memo concluding it found nothing new in its review of the Epstein files. This sent MAGA world ablaze with claims a cover-up was afoot and that Bondi was not being as 'transparent' as Trump promised she would be. Loomer led the calls for her to be fired and multiple reports emerged claiming Bondi lost her secure footing with Trump.
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