Trump to Nominate Todd Blanche to Serve as Attorney General

President Donald Trump announced late Wednesday evening that he will nominate Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general.

Speaking at a White House dinner on Thursday, Trump said he intends to nominate Blanche—who currently serves as acting attorney general—for the position.

“We are going to make him permanent attorney general,” Trump said at the Rose Garden event.

Such a move would require the support of a simple majority of senators. He was confirmed in a 52–46 party-line vote in the Senate last year.

Blanche was tapped as acting attorney general after Trump announced on April 2 that Attorney General Pam Bondi would be “transitioning” to an important role in the private sector that would be announced in the near future.

She later revealed she had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had recently undergone surgery.

At the time, Blanche said he was grateful for Trump’s trust and the opportunity to serve as acting attorney general and thanked Bondi for her leadership.

“We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe,” he said on X at the time.

The president said at the time that Blanche is a “very talented and respected legal mind.”

The nomination comes after 60 days of Blanche serving in the acting role, which is limited to 210 days.

Blanche had been serving as deputy attorney since the start of Trump’s second term, during which time he led immigration law enforcement efforts through the DOJ and oversaw the release of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Before that, he was involved in Trump’s defense as his personal attorney in his 2024 New York jury trial, when the former president was convicted on multiple charges of falsifying business records in connection with payments that prosecutors said were mislabeled during the 2016 election.

As an attorney, Blanche has also represented former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager Paul Manafort, and Boris Epshteyn, who is currently the senior counsel to Trump.

Blanche has also worked as a federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York and later worked for multiple prominent law firms, including Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, and WilmerHale.

Jack Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this report.