At today’s Oversight Committee hearing, Pam Bondi did what embattled attorneys generally do when under siege. She went on offense. She snapped at Thomas Massie. She sparred with Pramila Jayapal. She insulted Jamie Raskin. She defended her handling of the Epstein files with visible irritation and sharp elbows. And in doing so, she may have taken a far more existential risk than any policy misstep: she forgot the audience.
Because these hearings, like so much political theater now, are staged for an audience of one: the great and powerful Donald Trump. So while Bondi thought she was playing the role of loyal defender, her sneering responses and burn book takedowns turned her into something else: the Angry Woman. And that is not something her boss would order from Central Casting.
Bondi heads the Department of Justice under enormous pressure after her botched and chaotic release of the Epstein files. Victims’ advocates have complained about insensitivity. Lawmakers—Democrat and Republican—have complained about opacity. And Trumpworld whispers that loyalty is necessary but not sufficient. Competence, or at least the appearance of control, matters, too. In this White House, survival is a performance review conducted in real time, with the remote control in Trump’s hand.
Yet Trump has made something else equally clear over the years: he does not like “angry women.”
He branded Hillary Clinton a “nasty woman” and repeatedly painted her as shrill and enraged. His preference has always skewed toward the ornamental: Melania Trump, serene and sphinx-like; Ivanka Trump, polished and now conspicuously silent in his second administration. Recently, he belittled Kaitlin Collins for not smiling, making it seem like a personal affront to him that a “young woman” could be in his presence and not be thrilled.
Trump prefers women who smile. Women who glide. Women who understand that in Trump’s court, volume control is permitted, but only if it belongs to him.
Bondi is not ornamental. She is a former Florida attorney general, a seasoned prosecutor, and one of Trump’s personal lawyers during various impeachment and legal battles. Trump himself once boasted that his legal team might not be “the top lawyers,” but they were “the hottest lawyers.” He hired Alina Habba to lead his defense in the E. Jean Carroll case. Habba didn’t need LinkedIn to get the job. She was spotted lounging poolside in a bikini at Bedminster. In Trump’s world, competence is helpful; telegenic loyalty is essential.
In that ecosystem, fury is a dangerous currency. Rage from a man reads as strength.
What worked for the puce-faced, fleck-spitting Brett Kavanaugh, whose volcanic Senate testimony was recast by allies as righteous indignation, may not translate when the outburst comes from a lady lawyer. Kavanaugh’s anger was canonized. Bondi’s could come across as mental instability.
And instability is fatal. That’s Trump’s lane.
The optics of today’s performance were complicated. By attacking Massie and Jayapal rather than centering empathy for Epstein’s victims, Bondi risked appearing defensive rather than resolute. An attorney general under fire for mishandling sensitive documents does not gain altitude by trading barbs and shouting about the stock market. She gains it by projecting calm authority. Especially when the case involves sexual exploitation and abuse — an arena in which tone matters and the temperature should be measured in compassion, not decibels.
Trump likes dominance. He likes control. He likes television moments in which he is the axis and others orbit smoothly around him. What he does not enjoy is watching subordinates seize the emotional spotlight or, worse, look as though they might combust on live television.
If this were an episode of The Apprentice, Bondi’s flare-up would be used as a moment of high drama, a loss of composure. Trump might appreciate the theatrical ruthlessness (always good for ratings) while also sensing an unexpected plot twist. Much like Shonda Rhimes, known for killing off the audience’s favorite character when they least expect it, he has never hesitated to turn on once-favored aides.
“You’re fired” has always been more about mood than merit. It’s possible that Bondi’s ugly performance could be her last. And if it is, it’s her own fault. The fix was obvious. If only she had smiled more.
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