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GOP 'running out of patience' with Trump's latest behavior: analysis

The Republican Party is running out of patience with Donald Trump because of his frequent cabinet firings, a political analyst has claimed.

Trump has cleaned house in recent weeks, firing Kristi Noem from her position as head of the Department of Homeland Security, and then removing Attorney General Pam Bondi from her post. The GOP, just months out from an election cycle that could see the party lose both the House and Senate, appears fed up with the constant changes to Trump's team.

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US fighter jet shot down by Iran: report

A U.S. fighter jet in the Middle East was shot down by Iran, according to a breaking news report from Axios on Friday, the first such instance since the Trump administration launched Operation Epic Fury alongside Israel in late February.

“An American fighter jet was shot down by Iranian fire,” reads a statement from Axios’ Barak Ravid, issued on social media moments after his report was published. “A search is underway to locate the two crew members, according to a source familiar with the details.”

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Pam Bondi joins long list of Florida appointees who crashed and burned under Trump

Pam Bondi's firing marks another casualty in what's becoming a bloodbath of Trump administration appointees and nominees from his home state of Florida. But unlike her predecessors, Bondi faces an additional humiliation: forced testimony before Congress about the administration's bungled handling of Jeffrey Epstein files.

According to Politico's Kimberly Leonard, White House insiders don't believe Bondi will leverage her Trump experience into a political career. There's also no indication that she will return to her job as a lobbyist at Ballard Partners, from which she was plucked to serve at the DOJ.

Bondi is far from alone. Trump's second term has become a graveyard for Florida appointees:

  • Former national security adviser Mike Waltz was demoted to the UN in the wake of his being caught up in the "Signalgate" scandal.

In Bondi's case, one place she might find herself busy is in front Congress.

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Trump begs for 'more time' in Iran war so US can 'take the oil and make a fortune'

President Donald Trump took to social media Friday to insist that the United States could “easily” achieve its objectives in its war against Iran, “take the oil” and “make a fortune,” but only if afforded “a little more time.”

“With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “IT WOULD BE A ‘GUSHER’ FOR THE WORLD???”

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JD Vance might have 'unhinged' Trump removed from office to save himself: ex-GOP insider

JD Vance could quietly shift himself away from Donald Trump over the next few months to preserve his presidential run, a political analyst has suggested.

While Vance has not yet confirmed if he is running to replace the president, analysts believe the Vice President will have a better chance of fronting the Republican Party at the 2028 Election if he separates himself from Trump. Analysis from former Republican presidential campaign creative team member Myra Adams, writing in The Hill, suggested that Vance should start moving away from the president as soon as he can.

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Trump sics JD Vance on blue states with new assignment: 'Raids have already started in LA'

President Donald Trump officially dubbed Vice President JD Vance as his administration’s new “fraud czar” in an announcement on Friday, with his first assignment being to “primarily” target Democratic-controlled states.

“Vice President JD Vance is now in charge of ‘FRAUD’ in the United States. It is massive and pervasive, and the job he will be doing, in conjunction with many great people within the Trump Administration, will be a major factor in how great the future of our Country will be,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

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Conservative expert nails Pete Hegseth for his personal vendetta against US Army

Appearing on MS NOW on Friday morning, former Naval College professor Tom Nichols was asked about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest firing of top Pentagon officials and he pointed out a distinct pattern that deserves additional scrutiny.

On Thursday, the volatile Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff General Randy A George, which the New York Times described as “a move that reflects growing hostility between Mr. Hegseth and the Army’s leadership, military officials said.”

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Trump 'running into a brick wall' as GOP refuses to cave to key demand: report

In his efforts to pass his voting restrictions bill the SAVE Act, President Donald Trump has ramped up calls for Republicans to amend the Senate’s rules, but has largely been rebuked and issued a “reality” check by members of his own party.

“President Donald Trump’s nonstop lobbying of Senate Republicans to weaken the Senate’s institutional powers is running into a brick wall,” Punchbowl News wrote Friday in its report. “There are signs that this reality – even Trump has limits in dealing with the ‘World’s Greatest Deliberative Body’ – may finally be settling in at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.”

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Freaky Pornhub searches evidence of 'ultimate collapse of MAGA self-image': ex-GOP insider

Ex-GOP strategist Rick Wilson has laid bare what he calls the "ultimate collapse of the MAGA self-image," pointing to an unlikely source: Pornhub search data tied to Byron Noem, husband of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.

Wilson noted that the word "bimbofication" received a 724% increase in searches on the adult materials website on April 1, just after the scandal broke about Byron Noem's purported online sexual activities.

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Trump's fear of midterm blowout puts him under the gun to shake up Cabinet quickly: report

Donald Trump's "no scalps" doctrine is officially dead. The White House is now actively discussing the removal of multiple Cabinet officials — and the pace is about to dramatically accelerate.

According to The Atlantic's Ashley Parker and Sarah Fitzpatrick, Trump administration insiders confirm that "there are active discussions about others leaving the administration, including FBI Director Kash Patel, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer." The timing remains uncertain, but the direction is clear: more firings are coming.

The reversal is striking. Trump had explicitly banned Cabinet removals before the midterms, fearing Democratic attacks and media narratives of chaos. He viewed firings as concessions to his enemies. But the Iran war has destroyed that calculus.

Trump's collapsing political support has forced a brutal calculation: if he's going to fire people, he needs to do it before the Senate potentially turns Democratic in November. Once Democrats control the chamber, confirmation of replacements becomes nearly impossible.

A Trump confidant revealed the cynical logic: the president was emboldened by positive reactions to Kristi Noem's removal and saw that momentum as justification to move against Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Bondi's firing crystallized a grim reality about serving Trump: "No one can succeed in this job. Why would anyone want this job?" asked a White House insider. The answer: only someone with "unbridled ambition" would pursue it.

Despite the attorney general role being "among the most thankless in the Trump administration," there's no shortage of candidates circling. Alina Habba, Trump's former personal lawyer, and Jeanine Pirro, now Trump's U.S. attorney for D.C., are actively jockeying for the position at Mar-a-Lago. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah are also in the mix, according to reports.

When pressed on the timing of Bondi's removal, a White House official offered a non-answer: there was no particular "rhyme or reason," just ongoing conversations that led to a mutual decision.

"Ultimately, he was talked out, and she was talked out," the official said.

Translation: the decision was inevitable, the method was brutal, and there are more names on the list.

Trump's new AG immediately put on notice by GOP rep — and warned of 'criminal' liability

Moments after President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche was elevated to her position and named acting attorney general, a promotion that was immediately met with a fierce warning from one Republican lawmaker.

“Congratulations AG Blanche,” wrote Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) Thursday night in a social media post on X. “Now you have 30 days to release the rest of the files before becoming criminally liable for failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA).”

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Ex-prosecutor flags one moment that may have been last straw for Bondi: analyst

Outgoing Attorney General Pam Bondi may have sealed her own fate just last week with a move that likely enraged Donald Trump, a legal analyst has suggested.

Bondi, who was removed from her post in the Trump administration yesterday (April 2), will serve in a new role outside of the administration. The president announced the move in a Truth Social post, which reads, "Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year.

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Pam Bondi saw writing on the wall but hoped for a 'graceful exit': NYT

Newly fired Attorney General Pam Bondi lavished excessive, cartoonish praise on Donald Trump. It didn't matter. He fired her via social media post anyway, blindsiding the attorney general who had bent over backward to prove her loyalty.

According to the New York Times, Bondi saw the writing on the wall last month when Trump abruptly fired Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary. She confided to friends that she might be next. But she never expected Trump to act quite so quickly or ruthlessly.

On Wednesday, Trump told Bondi during a car ride to the Supreme Court — while they watched arguments in the birthright citizenship case — that "it was time for a change at the top of the Justice Department."

Bondi desperately hoped to negotiate a graceful exit, buying time until summer to leave on her own terms. Instead, she got neither mercy nor time. She grew emotional after realizing she was finished. The next morning, Trump made it official — firing her through a social media post.

The reason was clear: Trump was furious. The Justice Department had failed to win high-profile cases against his political enemies, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Multiple Trump advisers had been working behind the scenes to orchestrate her ouster. Federal housing official Bill Pulte, operating outside Bondi's authority, had long pushed for her firing, blaming her for "slow-walking and bungling" the Comey and James cases. Boris Epshteyn, Trump's longtime legal adviser, was also a key detractor who significantly influenced the president's decision.

Even Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff and Bondi's most important ally — the woman Bondi called her "sister" — found it increasingly impossible to defend her. Wiles made a passionate argument for keeping Bondi until the end of the term, but it wasn't enough to overcome Trump's fury.

Desperate to save her job, Bondi moved more aggressively in recent weeks against targets Trump had singled out, including former Obama official John Brennan and former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson — the latter accused by Trump of lying about his actions on January 6.

It backfired. Her aggressive compliance signaled weakness, not loyalty.

Trump's personnel calculus is now shifting dangerously. His quick confirmation of Markwayne Mullin as Noem's replacement has emboldened him. Cabinet secretaries are no longer safe, even those who have demonstrated unwavering devotion.

Trump's allies now have embattled Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer in their sights as the next potential cabinet casualty.