Pam Bondi Replacement Todd Blanche Has A Past With Kaitlan Collins

As President Donald Trump re-enters his shakeup era, he has once again found himself in need of a new attorney general. Though Pam Bondi was all smiles right before she was fired, it seems her interim replacement might struggle to keep a grin on his own face as he steps up to the plate. Former personal attorney to Trump, Todd Blanche, was part of the disastrous hush-money trial that saw the president receive 34 felony counts. However, it seems that a ghost from Blanche's past might come back to continually haunt him — a photo of him and CNN's Kaitlan Collins getting cozy over a business lunch.

Reminder: https://t.co/eupWGGjRz7

— Raheem J. Kassam (@RaheemKassam) April 2, 2026

The above photo from X, formerly Twitter, is originally from December 2024, but has since been making the rounds once again now that Blanche's name is in the news. Blanche already has an uphill battle ahead of him; he, like Bondi, has faced rough criticism for his handling of the notorious files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. However, Blanche was the one who personally interviewed former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell in July 2025, and then defended her transfer to a minimal security prison shortly after, per Politico. It's moves like these that have already gotten him the stink eye from the MAGA crowd, with many not convinced that the New York lawyer isn't a Democrat in disguise. In fact, many are quick to point out the fact that Blanche was a registered Democrat until 2024, something that the resurfaced photo of him and Collins is doing little to dissuade.

Many were quick to come out of the woodwork and shake a proverbial stick at the choice of Todd Blanche as interim attorney general. Though Blanche is decidedly not Donald Trump's worst lawyer, he still has some explaining to do when it comes to Trump's loyal base.

Conservative influencer Kambree Nelson was quick to take to X to post that she "still can't shake that image of Todd Blanche having lunch in Florida with CNN's [Kaitlan] Collins. Now he's serving as interim Attorney General." But she wasn't alone, others were rankled by the reminder that he's willing to play nice with legacy media outlets. "Blanche is not AG material. He's a democrat who likes to spend time with CNN Collins," wrote another disgruntled netizen. Another likened the photo to "fraternizing with the enemy," continuing that the look was "not good. Why on earth would he do this?" Another still pointed out that this is "not a good look," while someone else reiterated a desire for Trump to "find a replacement, QUICKLY."

While his base seems to have a distaste for Blanche, the lawyer is trying hard to put his best foot forward. He himself posted to X to both thank Pam Bondi "for her leadership," as well as thank Trump "for the trust and the opportunity." Time will tell just how long the opportunity lasts.