Maddow Blog-Conflict between Pam Bondi and Dan Bongino goes public, adding to Team Trump schisms

[LetMyPeopleVote]

The president said prominent members of team his “get along with each other” and “love each other.” There's overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Trump boasted that members of team his “get along with each other” and “love each other.” Yeah, about that:
- Bongino vs Bondi
- Grenell vs Rubio
- Duffy vs Hegseth
- Bessent vs Navarro
- Everybody vs Musk www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-07-14T13:22:53.564Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/conflict-pam-bondi-dan-bongino-goes-public-adding-team-trump-schisms-rcna218615

In his latest Fox News interview, Donald Trump sat down with Lara Trump, his own daughter-in-law, and reflected on one of the key differences between his first and second terms. “We have really good people this time, and they get along with each other,” the president said, adding, “They love each other ... and it’s smoother. I think it’s smoother.”

Perhaps the Republican was confusing his team for some other administration — because there’s all kinds of evidence that contradicts the idea that prominent members of team his “get along with each other” and “love each other.” NBC News reported:

Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino is considering leaving his job after a heated confrontation with Attorney General Pam Bondi over his frustration with how the Justice Department has handled the Jeffrey Epstein files, according to a person who has spoken with Bongino and a source familiar with the interactions that Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel have had with Bondi.

“Bongino is out of control furious,” the person who has spoken with the deputy FBI director said. “This destroyed his career. He’s threatening to quit and torch Pam unless she’s fired.”......

As we’ve discussed, throughout American history, there have been administrations with rival factions, but those divisions usually take time. On Team Trump, the cracks are bursting into view just six months after Inauguration Day.

In theory, a strong president could intervene, resolve differences, unite his or her own team, and establish a clear vision for his or her administration to follow. In practice, however, Trump appears content to play the role of President Bystander, watching these divisions get even worse.

There’s an old expression: A fish rots from the head down. I mention this because these kinds of failures of leadership have a tendency to spread — and amid reports of tumultuous infighting at other federal agencies, there’s reason to believe it’s already spreading.