Former Pam Bondi was diagnosed with thyroid cancer shortly after departing the Department of Justice earlier this year, according to reports Tuesday, adding a deeply personal dimension to the abrupt end of her tenure inside President Donald Trump's administration and her rapid reemergence in a new White House advisory role focused on artificial intelligence policy.
Bondi, 60, underwent treatment in recent weeks and is now recovering, Axios reported, citing a source familiar with the matter. The disclosure surfaced just as the Trump administration confirmed Bondi would join the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a high-level panel increasingly central to the administration's expanding focus on AI regulation, cybersecurity and competition with China.
The revelation was quickly amplified by Katie Miller, the former White House communications aide married to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
"Pam has been quietly kicking cancer's ass the last few weeks," Miller wrote on X. "@PamBondi has a heart of gold."
The diagnosis emerged only weeks after Trump removed Bondi from her role leading the Justice Department, replacing her with former deputy attorney general Todd Blanche as acting attorney general.
At the time, the White House framed Bondi's departure not as a rupture but as a transition into another influential role aligned with Trump's broader policy agenda.
In a Truth Social post announcing her exit, Trump praised Bondi as "a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend."
"Pam did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown in Crime across our Country, with Murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900," Trump wrote. "We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future."
Bondi also publicly embraced the transition, describing her time at the Justice Department as historic and reaffirming her loyalty to Trump.
"Leading President Trump's historic and highly successful efforts to make America safer and more secure has been the honor of a lifetime, and easily the most consequential first year of the Department of Justice in American history," Bondi wrote on X after her departure.
She added: "Over the next month I will be working tirelessly to transition the office of Attorney General to the amazing Todd Blanche before moving to an important private sector role I am thrilled about, and where I will continue fighting for President Trump and this Administration."
The timing of Bondi's health diagnosis has intensified attention around the sudden nature of her exit from the Justice Department.
According to reports, Bondi was dismissed the same day she accompanied Trump to the Supreme Court for arguments involving a major birthright citizenship case, a move that surprised some administration insiders given her status as one of Trump's most visible and loyal cabinet allies.
Her appointment to the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology suggests the White House still sees Bondi as politically valuable, particularly as the administration attempts to deepen ties between Washington and Silicon Valley executives shaping the future of artificial intelligence.
The advisory group is co-chaired by David Sacks and White House science adviser Michael Kratsios.
According to Axios, the council includes several major technology leaders, among them:
- Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms
- Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA
- Larry Ellison, chairman of Oracle Corporation
